The Government have recently refreshed CONTEST, its counter-terrorism strategy, which has four strands: Pursue, Prepare, Protect and Prevent. The following work is being taken forward by local partners in Coventry with the support of national agencies:
Prevent
I understand that a Prevent Working Group has been developed in Coventry, made up of senior representatives from the police, council, universities, colleges and other public agencies, which will meet for the first time this month.
Coventry has recently developed a communications strategy to help mainstream messages to counter extremism. The local authority is also currently developing a programme of activities for young people from diverse communities, which explores issues of identity, challenging extremist ideology, and provides support to the most vulnerable.
Prepare
Prepare activity in Coventry is driven through the well established partnership of the Coventry Local Resilience Forum. This group is responsible for the development of the Local Community Risk Register which works to mitigate risks and threats within the area through prioritising planning, training and exercising activities.
Protect
Through NaCTSO (the National Counter Terrorism Security Office) and Project ARGUS we have provided advice and an awareness-raising programme to staff in all the main five shopping areas in Coventry (West Orchards, Cathedral Lane, Cross point, Lower Precinct and Tesco Arena), theatres and cinemas, the Transport Museum, Coventry FC and delegates from the night-time economy. For more information on NaCTSO and Project ARGUS visit
http://www.nactso.gov.uk/
There are two planned Project Griffin events at Warwick University on 7 May 2009 and 28 May 2009. Project Griffin is a police initiative bringing together and coordinating the resources of the police, emergency services, local authorities, business and the private sector security industry. For more information on Project Griffin visit
http://www.projectgriffin.org.uk/
More generally at all UK airports we are strengthening the arrangements for security planning, with clear proposals set out in the Policing and Crime Bill.
The key stakeholders at Coventry and other airports will have statutory responsibility for carrying out a joint threat and risk assessment and for preparing a comprehensive security plan setting out the actions being taken to address the risks at their airport. The costs of the police resources identified in that plan would then feature in a separate agreement about reimbursement between the operator, police force and the police authority.