Counter Terrorism

Terrorism is the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims. The main threat is from international terrorism and Northern Ireland related terrorism. Current threat levels can be viewed on the MI5 website.

Ribble Valley is classed as a low-risk area, however it is important we remain aware of the risk and stay alert to suspicious activity so we can contribute to the national counter-terrorism agenda.

What you can do to help

The police and the security and intelligence agencies depend on information from the public. Be their eyes and ears and help keep yourself, your family and your local community safe by looking out for any activity that seems to be unusual and reporting it to the police, in confidence.

If anything gives you cause for concern, do not rely on someone else – ACT. Find out about what kind of activity and behaviour you should report it on the Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) website.

If you have any information about unusual activity or behaviour, you can report it in confidence:

• Report your concerns to concern@lancashire.police.uk
• Call the police confidentially on 0800 789 321
• If you think a threat is imminent call the police on 999

You can also report illegal or harmful information, pictures or videos you’ve found on the internet anonymously on the Home Office website. This would include things such as:

• articles, images, speeches or videos that promote terrorism or encourage violence
• content encouraging people to commit acts of terrorism
• websites made by terrorist or extremist organisations
• videos of terrorist attacks

Run Hide Tell

Run Hide Tell is the government’s official advice on how to respond in the event of a terrorist attack. Please take a moment to watch the Run Hide Tell video.

Prevent

Prevent is part of the UK's counter terrorism strategy. It aims to stop people from supporting violent extremism and all forms of potential terrorism.

Extremists use a range of tactics – including face-to-face and online – to convince people to become involved in extremism/terrorism. This is radicalisation and it can happen anywhere. They particularly target vulnerable people, such as those with mental health problems and young people. Prevent aims to stop this by recognising when people are vulnerable to radicalisation and protecting them against it.

Like all local authorities, the council has a legal duty to stop people from being drawn into terrorism under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015. We work with local partners to protect the public, prevent crime and to promote strong, integrated communities. We work closely with local partners to ensure those at risk are protected.

How can I support Prevent?

Online training for frontline staff - an introduction to the Prevent duty, which aims to help staff who have contact with vulnerable people recognise signs of radicalisation and take appropriate steps to safeguard them.

Childnet: Trust Me resource for schools - an excellent classroom resource which can support addressing online extremism and propaganda through digital literacy. The resource aims to provoke discussion among students so as to challenge young people to think critically about what they see online and is available with both primary and secondary lesson plans.

Online radicalisation guidance for schools - developed by Lancashire Safeguarding Children Board colleagues to support with addressing online radicalisation as part of the broader online safeguarding agenda in schools. The guidance provides a number of considerations and recommendations for schools as well as signposts to a range of freely-available supporting tools and resources.

Vodafone: Digital Parenting -  The resource is free to access online and contains useful and practical information on a variety of subjects (Issue 5 contains reference to digital resilience).

NSPCC NetAware - a really useful resource guide to help adults stay up to date with the social networks children use. The resource highlights various popular social media apps and provides an explanation of what it is, age ratings, why it is popular and points to be aware of.

Childnet: Crossing the Line – the PSHE Toolkit - a highly recommended toolkit resource to use with students aged 11-14 containing films, lesson plans, guidance and worksheets to explore and address online issues such as sexting, self-esteem, peer pressure and cyberbullying.