By IANS,
London : Police are warning restaurants, theatres and cinemas in the UK to be prepared against terrorist attacks amid fears of British towns becoming terror targets in the future.
The Home Office says the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NCTSO) is due to publish shortly two new protective security guidance booklets for cinemas, theatres, restaurants and hotels.
There is no specific intelligence pointing to attacks on town centres and the NCTSO says its guidance documents and training exercises are intended to prepare businesses for the worst, The Telegraph said.
NCTSO, the police-led security office will this month start running counter-terrorism training exercises for businesses in the “night-time economy”. Known as ARGUS courses, the exercises will present staff and managers in restaurants, cinemas, theatres and hotels with a simulated terrorist attack.
On its website, NCTSO gives a stark warning about the threat to Britain posed by international terrorism. It says: “Attacks around the world have shown that terrorists will attack those targets they perceive as being attractive.
“Amongst the likely targets for international terrorists are locations with comparatively limited protective security measures which afford the potential for terrorists to cause mass casualties.”