POLICE chiefs are ‘reviewing their activities’ in response to the UK’s terror threat being raised to its highest level.
Last night Prime Minister Theresa May announced the threat level has been raised from ‘severe’ to ‘critical’ amid fears the Manchester attacker, Salman Abedi, did not act alone.
The decision was made to raise the threat level because a “wider group of individuals” may have been involved in the blast at the Manchester Arena.
By raising the threat level to critical it means more attacks may be imminent.
It also means the military will now be deployed at key sites across the UK.
22 people, including children, lost their lives in the attack and 64 people have been left injured.
West Mercia Police have said, although there is no specific threat to Worcestershire, they will continue to provide a visible police presence in order to reassure members of the public.
In a statement, Assistant Chief Constable Martin Evans said: “Along with our partners we continue to do everything we can to help protect our communities.
“As you would expect, we are reviewing our activities, including those in crowded places and for pre-planned events and whilst at this time there is no intelligence to suggest a specific threat in Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford and Worcestershire we are continuing to provide a visible policing presence to offer reassurance to our communities.
“We have an established plan in place if it is necessary to manage the deployment of military personnel in Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford and Worcestershire and our security measures and activities are under constant review to reflect where the threats exist and the level of threat we are facing in the county.
“Acts of terrorism and hate crimes are committed by a small minority of people and are not representative of the public. This is a time for us all to work closely together and unite against those who seek, through violence and extremism, to intimidate or cause fear.
“Therefore we need your help; please remain vigilant and to report any suspicious behaviour or activity on 0800 789 321 or in an emergency always call 999.
“There is also easy-to-remember national guidance of ‘Run, Hide, Tell’ – run to a place of safety, hide in a secure place, when it’s safe to do so, tell police by calling 999.”
