‘No call is a waste of time’, that is the key message of a national counter-terrorism campaign launched across the UK this week.
The public are being encouraged to pick up the phone and report any activity or behaviour which is suspicious or out of the ordinary to the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.
The annual campaign will run for a month on national and regional radio, in national and regional press and in a range of magazines.
The advert includes a picture of what appears to be a normal neighbourhood garage brimming with bottles of chemicals and boxes. It asks the reader to consider what they see and questions whether the garage is being used by a handyman, a pest controller – or whether it is being used as storage by a bomb maker.
In addition to the adverts, leaflets are being delivered to around four million homes across the country.
The leaflet contains the same garage images and also includes a list of suspicious activities that residents should keep an eye out for.
While the threat of a terrorist attack in the United Kingdom remains real and serious the advertising campaign has not been launched in response to any specific threat.
DAC Stuart Osborne, Senior National Co-ordinator Counter Terrorism and Head of the MPS Counter Terrorism Command stressed that any information passed to the Anti-Terrorist Hotline is treated in the strictest of confidence.
All information is thoroughly analysed and researched by experienced officers, before, and if any, police action is taken.
“Experience has shown us that terrorists do live alongside us in our communities,” said DAC Osborne.
“While they will try and hide what they are doing they can leave tell-tale signs behind and that is where the public can help us by looking out for activity or behaviour which strikes them as suspicious or out of the ordinary.
“We must not become complacent. We all have a responsibility to remain vigilant. I would urge anyone who has any concerns about possible terrorist-related activity to contact police through the Anti-Terrorist Hotline.”
