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Anti-terror leaflets published
By Jason Beattie, Evening Standard Political Correspondent Last updated at 00:00am on 26.07.04
A volunteer at a recent anti-terror exercise in Birmingham
An £8million campaign to help prepare the public for a major terrorist attack was launched by the Government today.
Every home in the country will be sent a 22-page pamphlet, Preparing For Emergencies, with first aid advice, contact numbers and practical tips on what to do in the event of a national emergency. The campaign will be backed by television and radio advertisements.
But speaking at its launch, a senior police officer said today's generation of pampered Britons would struggle to cope in a national emergency.
Chris Fox, President of the Association of Chief Police Officers, said the 24-hour consumer culture meant millions of Britons were ill-prepared for a terrorist attack.
He said: "We've become a much more predictable society. People have got more comfortable."-But he was confident about the ability of the emergency services to cope.
Meanwhile, Home Office officials said the booklet was not a response to a specific threat.
Much of the advice was, "good common sense", they said. It advises households to stock bottled water, batteries and tinned food. And it suggests that in the event of an attack the public should "go in, stay in and tune in" - return home, stay indoors and listen to the television or radio for further information.
The booklet also contains:
Twenty five million copies will be distributed next month and the first advertisements will be shown this evening.
Home Secretary David Blunkett said the public should be "alert but not alarmed". "It is all about helping you to do what you need to do," he said. "This could be from a terrorism attack all the way through to a major fire." The Government could not guarantee "100 per cent safety" from terror but it was trying, he said.
Patrick Mercer, the Conservative spokesman on homeland security, welcomed the campaign. "I am delighted that the Government has decided to follow the advice that we have given them," he said.
The Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten also backed the initiative. "Sending out proper information to the public on terrorism makes sense," he said.
Critics have argued the money could be better spent on policing and counter-intelligence.
But Mike Grannatt, former head of government information, defended the cost. "The £8 million for a campaign of this sort, which is less than the cost of a daily newspaper for each household involved, is a not a bad spend of money," he told Radio 4's Today programme.
Home Office minister Hazel Blears said the terrorist threat was "serious, credible and real".
