Following a rise in incidents of terrorism in recent months, the UK Terror Threat Level has been raised from SUBSTANTIAL (An attack is likely) to SEVERE (An attack is highly likely).

The threat level is set by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre and the Security Service (MI5). Threat levels do not have an expiry date. They can change at any time as different information becomes available. The level can be raised further to CRITICAL if required (An attack is highly likely in the near future).

Employees should continue to work as normal by working flexibly between home, work premises and external visits. Staff are advised to;

  • Be vigilant at entrances and exits, particularly during periods where increased numbers of people are entering and leaving the building.
  • Report any suspicious behaviour such as unauthorised persons trying to enter the building
  • Challenge any suspicious behaviour in a courteous way if appropriate
  • Wear ID badges at all times
  • Alert the other staff and the police via 999 immediately if they become aware of or experience unauthorised persons attempting to enter the building or acting suspiciously.
  • Familiarise themselves with the organisation’s Invacuation and Evacuation procedures.
  • Keep vehicle keys secure including their own and company vehicles
How to protect your organisation
  • Review existing access control physical measures
  • Assess whether Hostile Vehicle Mitigation measures are required
  • Review and update staff vetting procedures as appropriate
  • Review Invacuation / Lockdown protocols in place
  • Review incident reporting mechanisms to enable prompt activation of lockdowns in the event of a suspect IED
  • Review personnel training to understand and identify hostile reconnaissance
  • Review contingency planning to address situations where suspicious items or persons are discovered

Please contact your Security Advisory Consultant if you have any questions regarding this alert. You can also contact TIAA’s Security team at security@tiaa.co.uk