Terror alert guide issued
Prime Minister has launched instructions on how to survive a terrorist attack
ESCAPE, Hide and Alert are the key words in a new government how-to guide on what to do in a terror attack.
Posters with the guide follow the same format used on airline safety instructions that advise what to do in a crash. They are designed to be put up in public places such as stadiums, museums and large department stores.
The guide is broken down into three categories – “escape”, “hide” and “alert” – with comic-style picture boxes illustrating the best course of action during a terrorist attack.
For instance, one of the “escape” picture boxes shows a civilian ducking behind a wall, with a caption running across the top saying: “Do not expose yourself.”
The next box shows a man running towards another man and a woman with his hands held out – the caption to this one reads: “Alert people around you and persuade them not to enter the zone of danger.”
The “hide” category advises civilians to turn off all lights and mobile phone sounds and to conceal themselves behind solid obstacles such as pillars or walls.
The “alert” category recommends dialling emergency numbers 17 or 112 and warns the public not to “run quickly towards forces of law and order or make any sudden movement” – presumably to avoid being mistaken for a terrorist and shot.
The guide is a response to the Paris attacks in November that left 130 people dead. The Prime Minister Manuel Valls described it as a “public information campaign” to enable civilians to protect themselves better “in the event of a terrorist attack”.
