ABSTRACT
The emergency response to a major terrorist incident falls under the purview of the fourth ‘P’ of the government’s counter-terrorism strategy – ‘preparing’ for the consequences.1 In the course of our research to assess the preparedness of our emergency services and other emergency responders for a major terrorist attack in the UK a number of personnel from the fi re and rescue service, the ambulance service, the police, and local authorities were consulted. The general impression is that while London has made signifi cant progress in its emergency preparedness this has not necessarily been replicated outside the capital.2 Indeed, while the London Resilience Forum is seen as a role model for other regions in the country, the regional tier advocated in the Civil Contingencies Bill is as yet underdeveloped outside London. It is natural enough to prioritise our capital city when enhancing our emergency response (and this was clearly demonstrated by the 7 July 2005 attacks and attempted attacks two weeks later) but the nature of the threat (including simultaneous bomb attacks and a willingness to hit ‘soft’ targets if other targets are ‘hardened’) informs us that any major cities in the UK could be earmarked for attack.
