Following the rise in the UK threat level officers in Dorset are issuing a message of reassurance to the public and are asking everyone to be alert and not alarmed.
Dorset Police Deputy Chief Constable James Vaughan said: “As part of the ongoing investigations into the terrorist incident in Manchester on Monday night, the Prime Minister has announced that the independent Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) has raised the UK threat level from ‘severe’ to ‘critical’. As a result of this decision Operation Temperer will now be activated, alongside other established and tested plans, meaning that military personnel may now be deployed onto the streets under police command and control. Locations for deployment are agreed at a national level and, at this stage, there are no plans for deployment in Dorset.
“Although we have no information to suggest any specific additional risk to Dorset, we would urge the public to keep alert and not alarmed, and to support us in keeping our region safe by keeping an eye out for anything that seems out of place, unusual or doesn’t seem to fit with day-to-day life. If anyone sees anything suspicious that they believe may be related to terrorism, they can report this to the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789321 or call 999.
“It is important to stress that Operation Temperer and the raising of the threat level are both nationally agreed and affect the whole country, they are not specific to Dorset. We will continue to work with our police and security colleagues across the country, as well as with the military and our local partners, to do all we can to keep the public safe.”
