Police mocked for advice to have ‘grab bag’ of emergency supplies

POLICE advice for people to keep an emergency “grab bag” at home has been mocked online, with officials accused of “scaremongering”.

Police Twitter accounts posted pictures of “grab bags” on Sunday in a September safety awareness campaign. People were advised to set aside a bag containing among other items an emergency plan, whistle, food and water, toiletries, a radio and a torch.

“Emergencies can happen at any time and it’s recommended to have a #Grabbag ready, containing essential items including medication, copies of important documents … and other personal items,” stated Police Scotland’s account. Those responding demanded to know what “emergency situation” was likely. One tweeted: “They should at least hint as to why – a zombie apocalypse is going to need a very different packing strategy to an AI takeover.”

Another user wrote: “Just packing my #Grabbag and so far I have Jaffa Cakes, gin, phone charger, Pot Noodle, colouring book and a Pac a Mac. No one can tell me I’m not prepared.”

Others uploaded photographs of their ideal “grab bags” – containing such essentials as gin, prosecco and the family pet. One critic accused the police of scaremongering: “You may as well go the whole hog: ‘A nuclear attack can happen at any time. Make sure you have a fallout shelter ready.’”

The police were later forced to clarify the grab bag had nothing to do with Brexit. A spokesman said: “The campaign has no links to Brexit … it is just coincidence that these issues have collided on Twitter and some people have assumed that they are linked.”