'The eyes and ears of communities are valued at this time': Public reassured but told to remain vigilant following Manchester attack

No soldiers will be patrolling in Dorset, but police have urged residents to be on the lookout for suspicious activity.

The Police Federation locally says the 'eyes and ears of communities' would be valued at this time'.

Soldiers will replace armed police as many sites in the UK under Operation Temperer, which is being enacted after security experts warned the Government that another terrorist attack could be imminent.

Members of the military can be expected to be seen guarding key sites such as Parliament, Buckingham Palace and Downing Street, after the official terror threat assessment was raised to critical – the highest level.

Twenty two people died and 59 people were injured after suicide bomber Salman Abedi caused carnage at the end of an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena  on Monday night.

Dorset Police have issued a statement reassuring the public that there is no specific terror threat to the county.

Deputy Chief Constable James Vaughan said: "As part of the ongoing investigations into the terrorist incident in Manchester, the Prime Minister has announced that the independent Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) has raised the UK threat level from ‘severe’ to ‘critical’.

"As a result of this decision Operation Temperer will now be activated, alongside other established and tested plans, meaning that military personnel may now be deployed onto the streets under police command and control.

"Locations for deployment are agreed at a national level and, at this stage, there are no plans for deployment in Dorset."

He added: “Although we have no information to suggest any specific additional risk to Dorset, we would urge the public to keep alert and not alarmed, and to support us in keeping our region safe by keeping an eye out for anything that seems out of place, unusual or doesn’t seem to fit with day-to-day life.

"If anyone sees anything suspicious that they believe may be related to terrorism, they can report this to the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789321 or call 999.

“It is important to stress that Operation Temperer and the raising of the threat level are both nationally agreed and affect the whole country, they are not specific to Dorset.

"We will continue to work with our police and security colleagues across the country, as well as with the military and our local partners, to do all we can to keep the public safe.”

The Police Federation nationally warned that the deployment of military personnel highlights the fact the police "do not have the resources to manage an event like this on our own".

Chairman Steve White said that although the move to place soldiers at key sites was "welcome", it was also important that the Government ensures there is a "resilient, fully-resourced police service" to protect the public.

Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill has previously expressed concerns over the terror threat to Dorset after as many as three quarters of the county's specially-trained officers were diverted to bigger cities and airports.

He has also previously expressed concerns about the vulnerability of the coastline, and had repeatedly raised the issue of port security with the then Home Secretary Theresa May.

He was seeking answers over security at ports in Dorset and Bournemouth Airport.

Mr Underhill did not want to make any further comments yesterday in light of recent events.

Chairman of the Dorset Police Federation, Tony Tester, added: "The force is trying to continue business as usual but at the same time trying to highlight to the public that they are a key player in helping us to protect our communities.

"The eyes and ears of communities are valued at this time.
"At this stage there is no specific threat to Dorset. People need to be alert but not alarmed, it's a balance."

Mr Tester added: "There will be a further debate on numbers of police in the near future."

Regarding security at Portland Port, CEO Bill Reeves said: "The port takes security very seriously and has recently reinstated its own police service.

"We have strong and effective security measures in place as standard practice and enjoy a good relationship with our local police authority.

"If national security threat levels are increased we are able, at very short notice, to respond appropriately with increased security arrangements."

With security of major events now under the spotlight, organisers of Camp Bestival have issued a message of reassurance.

Organisers of the event say the family music festival at Lulworth Castle in July is being planned with the current threat level in mind.

A message on their Facebook page reads: "We want to reassure everyone that the safety of our audience is of paramount importance to Camp Bestival.

"The events are being planned with the current threat level considered and we have total confidence that a proportionate and realistic level of resource and procedures will be in place. We will continue to work with Dorset Police over the next few weeks to continue planning around the security and policing for the festival.

"Our thoughts are with the families in Manchester affected by this tragedy."