Charnwood Borough Council - Leading in Leicestershire

A multi-agency forum has met today (Friday July 8) to consider the preparedness of the emergency services and key agencies in the light of the tragic events in London.

The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Local Resilience Forum, which is made up of police, fire, ambulance, health agencies, environment agency and all of the unitary and district local authorities, including Charnwood, were brought together to assess the impact of yesterday’s events.

The forum added their voice to the worldwide condemnation of the attack in the capital and expressed their sympathies and condolences to those that had been affected in any way by the incident. It also praised the professionalism of the emergency services and other agencies that dealt so effectively in the aftermath of the tragic events. The forum also expressed its thanks for the very supportive statement and demonstration of unity made by the leaders of the many faiths in Leicester and Leicestershire.

The forum meets regularly to discuss and plan for any eventualities including terrorism, natural disaster and other civil emergencies. The group met today to assess the current situation and to confirm that their plans for a co-ordinated response to this type of event were in place.

Mr Keith Lockwood-Lee, the Forum’s co-ordinator, said: “This group has been in place for many years, working together to ensure that we are all able to respond to any eventuality in a professional and co-ordinated multi-agency approach.”

Assistant Chief Constable Chris Eire, said: “While there is no evidence to suggest that there is any specific threat to Leicester, Leicestershire or Rutland we want to reassure communities that we are prepared.

"There has been speculation in the national press about who may be responsible for the atrocities in London, at this time there is no evidence or links to suggest any connection to the Force area.

"We are rightly proud of our city and counties and we must continue to stand together at this difficult time and defeat terrorism. The people that we serve are known the world over to be peaceful, tolerant and welcoming of all faiths, races, nationalities, cultures and traditions."

Speaking on behalf of the Charnwood’s Community Safety Partnership and as Cabinet Lead member for Community Safety, Cllr, Sandie Forrest endorsed the forum’s statements and complimented them on their timely and comprehensive response to these tragic events, "We will be working closely with community leaders in Charnwood over the coming days to preserve the spirit of racial harmony that we are so justifiably proud of."

The Forum encourages all members of the community to be extra vigilant and to report anything suspicious to the police immediately. Anyone with any specific information about terrorist activities should contact the Anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321.