Tag Archives: political

The awareness campaign will call on communities to act on their instincts to help prevent atrocities taking place in the UK and overseas. The appeal comes as new figures reveal that information from the public has assisted counter terrorism police in a third of the most ‘high-risk’ investigations, helping keep communities safe.

The UK’s most senior counter terrorism officer, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, will launch a new ‘Action Counters Terrorism’, or ‘ACT’, campaign today urging the public to report suspicious activity to the police.

Mr Rowley will tell an audience of community and business representatives in Manchester that information from the public continues to help keep people safe by playing a significant part in recent successes in countering terrorism. However, officers need even more information to build better intelligence pictures on individuals or groups plotting attacks.

This comes as the threat, which remains ‘Severe’ – meaning an attack is highly likely, continues to diversify and expand. This is seen in cases where terrorists have been able to reach across the world to radicalise often vulnerable, volatile or chaotic individuals and groups, and inspire and direct them using instant and secure communications.

CNC Chief Constable Mike Griffiths said: “As a national police force with responsibility for the armed protection of civil nuclear facilities and materials, counter-terrorism is at the heart of what the CNC do.

“The severe threat level indicates that it is highly likely that a terrorist attack could happen in the UK although it has not been raised in response to a specific threat. This campaign reminds everybody, from law enforcement to businesses to the general public that they have a role to play in keeping the UK safe from terrorism.

“This awareness campaign also asks us all to be vigilant – if you suspect it, report it. Nobody is better placed to detect something that is out of place in their communities than the people living in them.”

The campaign will feature a dedicated website, radio advertising, as well as a podcast series for the first time. The podcasts aim to give never heard before accounts of police action to protect the public. In one episode: ‘Multiple Bombings’, a former Special Branch officer explains the race against time to secure vital evidence right under the nose of a terrorist suspect in a highly sensitive covert operation. We also hear from a member of the public who acted on her instincts after seeing something suspicious and called police, helping detectives locate core ingredients for a massive bomb.

Visit the ACT website to find out more

Anyone with any suspicions should call the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.

James Timpson is Chief Executive of Timpson, a family retail business based in Manchester. The business trades from 1,725 shops across country, comprising of 920 Timpson outlets and a mix of Max Spielmann and Snappy Snaps photo shops (also including the Johnsons the Cleaners and Jeeves of Belgravia businesses). The company turnover is in excess of £200m and employs some 4,500 people. James’s passion and enthusiasm for business, people, his team and the wider community was recognised in the 2011 Queen’s Birthday Honours List, where he was awarded an OBE for services to training and employment for disadvantaged people.

The following year he was appointed the David Goldman Visiting Professor of Innovation for 2012-13, at the Newcastle University Business School. In 2015 James was appointed the HRH Prince of Wales Ambassador for responsible business in the North West in 2015. The same year he received the Albert Medal from the Royal Society of Arts and in 2016 appeared in the Sunday Times 500 Most Influential list, acknowledging his recruitment of ex-offenders. Away from Timpson James is Chair of the Prison Reform Trust and was, until 2016, Chair of the Employers Forum for Reducing Re-offending (EFFRR), a group of likeminded employers who offer a second chance to people with a criminal conviction. EFFRR members actively encourage other employers to be more willing to recruit ex-offenders and are on hand to help guide businesses along the way to help maximize the success of any placements.

The role is not remunerated and this appointment has been made in accordance with the OCPA Code of Practice. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Mr Timpson has declared that the company of which he is a CEO (Timpson Ltd) has made recordable donations to Mr Edward Timpson MP over the past five years – details of which can be obtained from the Electoral Commission website.