Do not waste time taking photos if you are caught up in a terror attack, children told

Camilla Turner
Updated
Security chiefs ordered the campaign following the Manchester arena attack earlier this year, which hundreds of children and teenagers were caught up in - AFP
Security chiefs ordered the campaign following the Manchester arena attack earlier this year, which hundreds of children and teenagers were caught up in - AFP

Do no waste time taking photographs if you are caught up in a terror attack, children have been told in new police advice for schools.

For the first time, Counter Terrorism Police have launched an information campaign aimed at school children advising them to “run, hide, tell” if they are caught up in an attack.

Security chiefs ordered the campaign following the Manchester arena attack earlier this year, which hundreds of children and teenagers were caught up in.

“We knew we needed to educate a younger audience and we knew that, if done correctly, this could be a campaign which will continue to keep people safe for decades to come,” said the UK’s Lead for Protective Security, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy D’Orsi.

“We created this education piece with that aim in mind, to produce a generation of young people who not only would know exactly what to do in the unlikely event they were ever caught in gun or knife attack, but would pass that information on to others.”

Ariana Grande performs during the One Love Manchester benefit concert for the victims of the Manchester Arena terror attack - Credit: REUTERS
Ariana Grande performs during the One Love Manchester benefit concert for the victims of the Manchester Arena terror attack Credit: REUTERS

The National Police Chiefs Council will publish an animated film and teaching resources on their website today for schools to download.

The film, designed by counter-terror police and the PSHE Association, urges youths not to "waste time" taking pictures or videos of the scene on their phones, but instead to run away from danger.

It also advises young people on what to do should they see something suspicious, and there are extra lesson plans for teaching basic first aid.

The lessons are not compulsory, but schools are being urged to use them to ensure the younger generation is prepared in the "unlikely event" of a terror attack.

"Whilst we cannot make these lessons mandatory in schools, I would strongly urge education providers and youth organisations to consider delivering this life-saving information to the 11-to-16-year-olds in their care,” Ms D'Orsi said.

"We appreciate this can be a difficult subject to speak to young people about, but we've carefully designed everything to be age-appropriate and we know from our research that this is information that young people want to be equipped with."