SEVERE threat level: why public safety preparedness matters more than ever

The UK National Threat Level has recently been raised to SEVERE, meaning a terrorist attack is considered highly likely. Counter Terrorism Policing has been clear in its public messaging: people should remain “alert but not alarmed.”

That distinction matters. This is not a call for fear or panic, but for preparedness – for organisations, workforces and public-facing sectors to recognise that effective public safety depends on teams knowing what to look for, how to respond, and how to act calmly and consistently when something does not feel right.

For employers responsible for public-facing environments, this means ensuring staff have the awareness and capability to make competent decisions under pressure, whether they work in retail, hospitality, healthcare, transport, events, tourism or other customer-facing settings.

Preparedness, not panic

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (also known as Martyn’s Law) exists because the threat is real and public places have repeatedly been targeted. The Home Office states that since March 2017, the UK has experienced or disrupted a total of 58 terrorist attacks and late-stage plots, highlighting the continued targeting of publicly accessible locations across a wide range of sectors. Against this backdrop, the statutory guidance is intended to strengthen protective security and preparedness across premises and events in scope of the Act.

That is why the public message around the threat level matters so much. “Remain alert but not alarmed” is not passive language; it is a practical instruction. It means people should be observant, informed and ready to act without losing the calm judgement essential during a real incident.

At its core, the Act reflects a whole-of-society approach to public safety and preparedness. Public protection cannot sit solely with security teams, policing or emergency responders. It depends on organisations and frontline staff being prepared, alert and able to respond effectively within their own environments, which – as the guidance suggests – is not only about having procedures on paper, but about ensuring staff receive training, learning and instruction that is:

• Appropriate to their role
• Tailored to their operating environment
• Capable of supporting effective implementation in practice

This shift from documented procedures to practical implementation is critical because real-world incidents rarely unfold neatly or predictably.

After all, preparedness is not about eliminating risk. It is about ensuring teams can respond when it matters most – calmly, confidently and consistently.

The hallmark of effective preparedness

One of the clearest examples of why this matters comes from Philip Moore, one of our expert trainers delivering the Level 3 Award in Counter-Terrorism Protective Security and Preparedness (CTPSaP).

Reflecting on a recent high-profile event, he described how effective planning and prepared personnel prevented what could have become a major incident:

“At a recent very high-profile event, a suspect was identified trying to gain unauthorised access to a secure site. Because of the plan, the attempt was rapidly identified, assessed and prevented. All the different parties and processes worked quickly, effectively and collaboratively. No time was lost. Otherwise, the person would have got in.”

He continued:

“At best, the result would have been a major embarrassment and the loss of public confidence. At worst, it could have led to multiple deaths.”

Perhaps most importantly, he added:

“Very often the hallmark of a successful plan is that you know something happened, but the public don’t.”

That is the reality of effective preparedness. The strongest public safety outcomes are often the incidents that never fully materialise because alert staff, clear procedures and coordinated responses prevented escalation before harm occurred.

Why the National Occupational Standards for Resilience and Emergencies matter

Through our parent organisation, The Workforce Development Trust, we are the guardians of the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Resilience and Emergencies – the nationally recognised standards that define the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies and major incidents.

This is particularly significant in the context of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, because the statutory guidance places strong emphasis on practical capability, role-appropriate learning and preparedness embedded across organisations – not isolated within security teams.

Developed in partnership with the UK Resilience Academy, the NOS framework supports exactly this approach by helping organisations build consistent, real-world capability across roles, sectors and operating environments.

At a time when the UK threat level is SEVERE, preparedness depends not only on procedures, but on people having the competence and confidence to respond effectively under pressure.

What organisations should be asking now

With the threat level now at SEVERE, organisations should not only be focusing on compliance deadlines or minimum requirements. They should be identifying what level of awareness all staff need; which roles require deeper, applied capability; and how their procedures translate into real-world action. They need to be evaluating whether staff are prepared to respond consistently under pressure and if any current training reflects their actual operating environment.

The statutory guidance is clear that preparedness must be proportionate, practical and tailored to role and environment, and building that capability takes time.

Preparedness starts and ends with people

The increase in the national threat level is a reminder that public safety preparedness cannot be treated as theoretical or distant.

The message from Counter Terrorism Policing remains clear: remain alert, but not alarmed.

For organisations, that means moving beyond policies and procedures alone to build workforces that are prepared, aware and capable of responding effectively in the moments that matter most.

Because while good planning matters, preparedness ultimately depends on people – informed, trained and prepared staff who can make effective decisions under pressure and respond calmly and consistently in real-world situations.

That is why a whole-of-society approach to public safety ultimately depends on a whole-workforce approach to preparedness.