Counter terrorism awareness training can go to more than a million ‘crowded places’ workers by a new e-learning package. Specialist counter terror police have worked with Marks & Spencer and Highfield e-learning, the Doncaster-based compliance and work-based e-learning training company – to develop the package, which has been trialled with 7,000 M&S employees and around 14,000 from other companies in retail.
Thanks to Marks & Spencers’ sponsorship, CT Policing will make the e-learning package a nationally-available resource for private and public sector. Called ‘ACT Awareness e-Learning’, it has six ‘primary modules’ to teach staff about the threat to the public from terrorism and how to mitigate it, such as spotting the signs of suspicious behaviour and reacting to a firearms or weapons attack. The interactive course, being e-learning, can be taken at times to suit a business and will give those who complete the sections a nationally accredited certificate.
Police report that they have consulted with other industries such as entertainment and hospitality, and are now ready to make ACT Awareness e-Learning available free. This follows the launch of the industry self-delivery package two years ago, whereby accredited trainers instead of police could deliver counter terrorism workshops. Over 400 companies and public bodies, with a collective workforce of two million, signed up – as police say, thus greatly increasing the numbers of people able to improve their security awareness. Moving to an online platform can further open the course to other places, without qualified trainers.
The national coordinator for protective security, Det Chief Supt Scott Wilson, suggested that the package could save lives. “Industry specifically requested the development of this product to better equip their staff and help protect communities and businesses. Working collaboratively, we’ve been able to deliver a unique training tool, designed to train large numbers of people quickly and efficiently at such a critical time.
“All staff working in crowded places – not just those who have a security role – can follow the course and be in a stronger position to help protect themselves, colleagues and the public. We are grateful to Marks and Spencer for entering into this collaboration with us, and for helping us develop the modules in a way that will easy for all sizes of company to use.”
For how to register for the training, through Highfield, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/news/act-awareness-elearning. See on gov.uk for other online training videos, such as for ‘Run Hide Tell’ in case of an active shooter; and Run Hide Tell for holidaymakers.
See also the Nactso (National Counter Terrorism Security Office) website: www.nactso.gov.uk.
