Britain’s present terror threat classification has been upgraded from substantial to severe.
The classification signals that a terrorist strike on British soil is now considered highly probable.
What do the threat classifications mean?
There are five classifications:
low – an attack is judged extremely improbable
moderate – an attack is judged conceivable but not probable
substantial – an attack is judged probable
severe – an attack is judged highly probable
critical – an attack is judged highly probable in the immediate future
The classification is determined by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre and the Security Service.
These classifications carry no set duration and may be altered at any point as fresh intelligence emerges.
What steps are the police taking to protect the public?
The government website explains that preserving public safety by maintaining close cooperation with all communities remains the paramount concern.
Officers continuously assess their activities and emergency preparations, coordinating with national and local authorities, emergency services and partner organisations.
A broad spectrum of visible and hidden policing methods is deployed. Hidden methods are inherently discreet, though visible approaches including heightened police presence are implemented across numerous settings.
This encompasses Project Servator, which deploys officers who have undergone specialist training to identify indicators that an individual may be preparing criminal activity, including terrorism, to conduct patrols in towns and cities at irregular intervals and locations.
The Prevent initiative is also utilised to intervene before vulnerable individuals become radicalised by terrorists or extremists.
These additional security measures are deployed for numerous purposes, such as responding to predictable seasonal crime trends or as a cautious response to the prevailing danger from overseas terrorism.
Residents, workers and visitors to British towns and cities can expect to see various policing methods continue to be employed.