Dear All,
The threat of terrorism is unfortunately one our racing community must start to pay serious attention to. Being involved at events as Volunteers, Officials, Competitors, Crews and Event Organisers does heighten your risk of being involved in an incident. Thinking that ‘it won’t happen to us’ is the easiest and most convenient way of dealing with this threat. Unfortunately, as many have already learned, every event, person, business or place in the country is a potential target.
Whilst we do not meant to cause you unnecessary alarm, we believe it is important to send this communication to you all to educate and provide you with information which will help you to stay safe should the need arise. Please read the information attached & at the bottom of this email.
The department will also be issuing further advice and guidance to your clubs and event organisers to ensure that they are also addressing the potential threat and are making the necessary plans and taking all precautions to minimise the risks. These are only advisory measures but we are confident that they will consult with the many sources of professional expertise to help them in their event planning.
We hope that you will take the time to read the information that is contained in this email as we believe it will be very useful for you.
Please remember to stay vigilant, stay safe and please not leave boxes or packages unattended at events – as these can cause unnecessary panic !. If you would like to share this communication with clubs, other volunteers, crews or family members, please feel free to do so.
You can also use the internet to research the subject for yourself & we will be publishing this information as a bulletin on the Powerboat Racing Section on the RYA website : http://www.rya.org.uk/programmes/powerboat-racing/Pages/hub.aspx
Thank you for your full attention in this matter.
Kind Regards
RYA Powerboat Racing Department
Basic Advice :
- a) Please view the following film & Guidance Notes that have been produced by the National Counter Terrorism Unit in order to give you all detailed advice on what to do in the event that you are involved in a terrorist attack.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/stay-safe-film
- b) Citizen Aid have produced an app for iphone / Android phones & tablets that can be downloaded for free. This is an extremely useful app to have in case you need to help yourself or others during a terrorist attack. The website provides links to the apps and has all sorts of other useful advice & video’s for you to view.
- c) The HOT protocol (see attached poster) will help you to identify anything packages or suspicious items that you may see lying around or left unattended. If you suspect anything – report it to your event organiser or call the police.
- d) Public Vigilance is key to working together to prevent terrorist attacks. Please view the following link for more information:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-vigilance/public-vigilance
- e) Please read & observe the advice given in the ‘Run, Hide, Tell’ protocol document (see attached poster)
- f) Report any suspicious activity or suspicious packages to event organisers or contact the police. If you think there is credible cause for alarm, trust your instincts !
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