Council workers given counter-terrorism training

Council chiefs have been accused of taking a 'big brother' approach to counter-terrorism after it emerged last week that 60 staff had been given training on reporting suspicious activity to the police.

Support workers, concierges, and community safety teams have been sent by the council on sessions hosted by the police as part of a counter-terrorism strategy organised by the Home Office.

The sessions have included training for support workers on spotting and reporting suspicious objects to the police in their visits to vulnerable groups.

Jason Rust, councillor for Colinton/Fairmilehead told The Journal: “Support workers have very clear roles and I’m not convinced anti-terrorism training should be part of that.”

However, a source at the council told The Journal that the briefings are part of a wider commitment to raising awareness of criminal activity and sharing information between agencies.

A council spokesperson said: “It is common practice for our staff to be briefed by partner agencies on issues that may come up during the course of their work.”

Members of the police further stressed the routine nature of co-operation among government bodies.

Assistant Chief Constable Iain Livingstone, of Lothian and Borders Police, said: "National security is a priority for Lothian and Borders Police, and under the Home Office CONTEST counter-terrorism strategy, police forces across the UK routinely engage with partner agencies and members of the public to promote information-sharing.

"As part of this strategy, our officers have been briefing staff at City of Edinburgh Council on how they can assist police in identifying potential terrorist and other criminal activity, all of which promotes community safety."

He stressed the importance of this endeavour throughout all areas in society: “This is not confined to council employees, but includes other public and private sector organisations, as well as members of the community.

"It is generally recognised that information-sharing is a key element in preventing potential terrorist and criminal activity, therefore it is imperative that we continue to engage with partners and the public at large by providing advice on how they can assist police."