Four central York businesses have agreed to hold emergency grab bags to give immediate support in York city centre should a major incident occur.
The bags are at McDonald’s in Blake Street, Marks & Spencer in Pavement, Yates York pub in Church Lane, and the Popworld night club in Hudson Street.
The emergency grab bags have been designed to assist in the immediate aftermath of a terrorist attack or major incident. Each bag contains information and equipment that will aid the early response to an incident before the emergency services arrive .
The new bags help to bolster the current emergency response provision and have been funded by Safer York Partnership, York’s statutory Community Safety Partnership). A further bag will be held at the York Stadium Leisure Complex at Monks Cross on the outskirts of the city.
Superintendent Fran Naughton from North Yorkshire Police said: “Working with local partners and colleagues at Counter Terrorism Policing, North Yorkshire Police supports the installation of Emergency Grab Bags in York.
“The public should be reassured and not alarmed by this initiative; it is a precautionary measure to ensure that York is prepared for a major incident. Although there is no specific threat to York and North Yorkshire, the current UK threat level remains at substantial meaning an attack is likely.
“I thank members of the public for their continued support, and I would urge them to remain vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour.”
This project builds on a number of proactive initiatives to protect those visiting, living and working in the city. This includes installing Hostile Vehicle Mitigation measures, providing first aid trauma kits, delivering protective security advice and training in Counter Terrorism awareness for local businesses. Multi-agency partners are also taking part in regular CT training exercises, the most recent being the live national exercise held at York Racecourse in March.
The new grab bags were delivered to the identified locations by Counter Terrorism Security Advisors from Counter Terrorism Policing North East, alongside Project Servator staff from North Yorkshire Police. Both teams maintain regular contact with local businesses and partners across the city centre and have engaged extensively with them as part of ongoing work around protecting public spaces. Guidance has been given to management and staff explaining how to store the bags securely and use their contents.
