ABSTRACT
Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York, the British Government began to think seriously about its arrangements for civil contingencies. This facet of governance has undergone a long slow shift in emphasis since the end of the Second World War, through the demise of the Soviet Union and after the cessation of violence in Northern Ireland. The focus was originally on civil defence against military and terrorist threats but in recent decades moved towards an ‘all hazards’ approach (Coles 1998; Coles and Smith 1997; Moore 1996; Rockett 2000; Sibson 1991).
