Terrorism

Terrorism is an act of an individual or a group who encourages or glorifies violence in the name of politics or religion. Terrorism is rare in the UK, but an attack could happen at any time or place without warning.

Terrorist attacks are sudden and unpredictable and are done to create terror among the public.

Sussex Police have a dedicated Counter-Terrorist Intelligence Unit (CTIU) which works alongside the rest of the force in protecting and reassuring the public, and reducing the risk from terrorism.

What to do if you are caught up in terrorist attack:

If you find yourself caught up in an incident, the National Counter Terrorism advises to 'RUN, HIDE, TELL'. The following video sets out what you should do if you find yourself in a firearms or weapons attack.

By being vigilant about activities online and in your community you can help police prevent terrorism. The following can be signs:

Storage- Equipment is often stored in lockups, garages, sheds and could consist of large amounts of chemicals, fertilisers or gas cylinders

Chemicals- Is someone buying large amounts of chemicals or gas cylinders with no good reason?

Funding- Have you noticed suspicious transactions?

Identities- Does someone have multiple names on different identity documents?

Travel- Is someone being vague about where they're travelling? Or the reason they're travelling?

Online- Is someone sharing content that promotes terrorism? Or is visiting terrorist related websites? Content can be speeches calling for violence, videos praising previous terrorist activity, messages to stir up hatred against a religion, bomb making instructions

If you see or hear something unusual or suspicious, trust your instincts and ACT (Action Counters Terrorism) by reporting it in confidence.

If you think what you have seen or heard is urgent or time critical, please call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321

If you have been affected by a terrorist incident you may experience certain symptoms such as:

Getting angry or upset more easily
Not being able to concentrate
Not being able to sleep
Being more jumpy and being on the lookout for danger

You don't have to have been directly caught up in the attacks to have been affected. You may be a family member of someone who has experienced it, or you may be affected by the media coverage and accounts of the event.

Mental health support

If your symptoms are severe and you are in distress or they last longer than 4 weeks, there are mental health treatments available through the NHS to help.

The information on the NHS Choices website will outline possible symptoms and describe how to seek help. Please visit your GP who will be able to provide advice and refer you on to the appropriate local NHS mental health service for assessment and treatment.

Children and young people may also access NHS help by visiting their GP, and schools may be able to provide support or refer them to local services.

Resources

The NHS has produced guidance on coping with stress following a major incident.

The Home Office have created a leaflet around support for people affected by terrorist attacks overseas and in the UK

You can also get support following terrorism through the services to the right.

Support

The Home Office have created a leaflet around support for people affected by terrorist attacks overseas and in the UK. It has been translated into several languages which you can find below.

Support for people affected by terrorist attacks overseas- English

Support for people affected by terrorist attacks overseas- Hebrew

Support for people affected by terrorist attacks overseas- Urdu

Support for people affected by terrorist attacks overseas- Arabic

Compensation

You might be entitled to compensation if you find yourself in a terror attack abroad. You must be a British, EU, EEA or Swiss citizen or a member of the UK armed forces (or close relation or family member). You must also have lived in the UK for 3 years immediately before the incident happened.

You can find out more and how to claim on the Gov.uk website.