Policy B1. Bomb and Bomb Threats Policy

Transcription

1 Policy B1 Bomb and Bomb Threats Policy Version: Ratified by: B1/04 Jan10 Operations board Date ratified: Title of originator/author: Title of responsible Director Director of Security Director of High Secure Services Director of Security & Executive Date issued: 23 rd January 2010 Review date: November 2012 Target audience: All staff Trust wide West London Mental Health NHS Trust 1

2 POLICY TITLE Bomb and Bomb Threats Policy POLICY REFERENCE NUMBER B1 DATE OF IMPLEMENTATION 23 rd January 2010 DEVELOPED / REVIEWED BY Security Directorate DUE FOR NEXT REVIEW November 2012 RESPONSIBLE DIRECTOR MAY BE DISCLOSED TO PATIENTS Director of High Secure Services and the Director of Security (B) Can be disclosed to patients & the public Equality & Diversity statement The Trust aims to design and implement services, policies and measures that meet the diverse needs of its services, population and workforce, ensuring that none are placed at a disadvantage over others. The development/review of this policy has undergone an Equality Impact Assessment [EIA], as per the guidance in the Trust Policy Development Monitoring & Review [P3]. West London Mental Health NHS Trust 2

3 Trust aspiration The Trust aspires to: Ensure the health and wellbeing of those we serve and be a leader in the development of mental health care and treatment. West London Mental Health NHS Trust 3

4 B1 Bomb and Bomb Threats Policy Version Control Sheet Version Date Title of Author Status Comment B1/01 Dec 03 Director of Security B1/ Director of Security B1/ Director of Security B1/ Director of Security New Trust Wide Policy Issued Revised policy to be presented to ODG prior to consultation. Revised policy to be presented to the Operations Board for ratification following consultation. Revised Policy issued Consultation period ends Ratified West London Mental Health NHS Trust 4

5 B1 Bomb and Bomb Threats Policy Index 1. Introduction 2. Aims 3. Receipt and Recording of the Threats 4. Role of Unit Coordinator/Senior Manager/Control Room 5. Incident Controller (Identification and Role) 6. Threat Evaluation 7. Evacuation 8. The Search 9. Postal Bombs 10. Investigation with the Sender and Addressee 11. Declaring of the All Clear and Re-occupation of Premises/Area 12. Preventative Measures Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Bomb Threat Form Identification Aid to Postal Bombs West London Mental Health NHS Trust 5

6 B1 Bomb and Bomb Threats Policy 1. Introduction 1.1 All public services are a potential target for bombs and bomb threats. It is important for staff to be aware of this ever present risk and the procedures to be followed. West London Mental Health NHS Trust 6

7 B1 Bomb and Bomb Threats Policy 2. Aims 2.1 To alert staff to the risk from bombs and bomb threats. 2.2 To inform staff of the procedure to be followed in the event of: (a) (b) Finding a suspicious object Receiving a bomb threat 2.3 To provide information to assist staff in identifying suspicious objects. 2.4 To provide guidance on preventative measures (see Section 12). 3. Receipt and Recording of Threat 3.1 The threat may be written or, more likely, to be a telephone call and not necessarily to the switchboard. 3.2 The person receiving the threat must give ALL the available information immediately after the threat has been received to: London Sites the Unit Coordinator or the appropriate Senior Manager on the London Site where the incident has occurred Broadmoor Hospital the Control Room 3.3 If the threat was by telephone, this will possibly be the only contact with the person making the threat and the only chance to obtain vital information. 3.4 It is sometimes possible to obtain more information, by asking questions, than just recording a warning. The Bomb Threat Form (see Appendix 1) should be used as a prompt for questions and to record details. 3.5 It is important that the person accepting the call makes a note of anything at all which may assist with identification. Sounds coming over the telephone; children laughing and music playing; radio and television in the background; are all important, as are indications of the apparent sex and age of the caller; accent; dialect; nationality or any impediment of speech. 3.6 If a bomb threat is received in writing avoid any unnecessary handling of the material, as this would be required as evidence. 3.7 If handling is essential, handle only a corner of the material and place the message in a plastic envelope/evidence bag. West London Mental Health NHS Trust 7

8 3.8 When placed in individual evidence bags a record must be made of the contents on the bag with the name(s) of the person(s) who have removed it and the location where it was found together with the date and time. 3.9 If possible, photographs should be taken of the room/area/item before anything is moved Evidence must only be handled by one person where practicable. A signed and dated, written record of any evidence removed must be maintained Evidence must be kept securely (i.e. restricted access to one or two authorised persons) in accordance with local procedures. Evidence must also be handed directly between the person who has removed, bagged and tagged the item and the person who will be responsible for its safe and secure storage When handling evidence, disposable gloves must be used and the item must be handled as little as possible and with care to preserve any evidence e.g. a blade should be picked up between two fingertips away from where it was held and if used to inflict any injury away from any point of contact. 4. Role of the Unit Coordinator/Senior Manager/Control Room 4.1 First, immediately contact the Police on 999. However, on London sites where there is a shared switchboard with another NHS Trust (e.g. Ealing, Charing Cross and Lakeside) check with the switchboard whether this has already been done and that they are aware of the threat and have alerted staff in the neighbouring Trust in accordance with their incident plans. Secondly, contact the On-Call Senior Nurse/Senior Manager* for guidance based on the quality/content of the perceived threat/risk what other staff/departments need to be contacted and advised of the situation. The On- Call Senior Nurse/Senior Manager must advise the On-Call Executive Director and decide whether to declare a Major Incident. *At Broadmoor, contact with the On-Call Senior Manager will be made via Site Management see also the Broadmoor Hospital Contingency Plans. 4.2 If there does appear to be an immediate risk to any person(s), the risk area/unit must be evacuated immediately, in advance of informing the On- Call Senior Nurse/Senior Manager. 5. Incident Controller (See also the Major Incident Plan) 5.1 The first line of all communication will always be to the Unit Coordinator or Senior Nurse/Manager on Site or Site Manager* who will be responsible for the coordination of the initial response to Locate, Isolate and Contain the threat, which may include the following: West London Mental Health NHS Trust 8

9 (a) The searching of building, grounds etc. (b) The evacuation of buildings, grounds etc (see section 7). (c) Re-occupation of buildings, grounds etc. (d) Notifying other Agencies or Health Services being operated on the Trust s premises or neighbouring sites 6. Threat Evaluation 6.1 It is not possible to produce a definitive statement on how to assess a bomb threat. But it is possible to work out the threats to a particular site or organisation taking into account: What is the current national and international climate regarding terrorist campaigns? What can the local Police advise about the chance of a local terrorist or extremist attack? Is there something about your building or your staff or patients that would attract a terrorist or extremist attack? 6.2 The Incident Controller must consider each threat individually; it s potential judged and a decision made. The Police will help and provide advice. If in any doubt, and if it is safe and appropriate to do so, implement an immediate evacuation. 7. Evacuation (Units, Specific Departments etc) 7.1 The decision to evacuate is normally the responsibility of the Incident Controller but the Police will provide advice. In exceptional cases the Police may insist on evacuation or that people do not leave the building. 7.2 The purpose of evacuation is to move people from an area where they might be at risk to a place of lesser risk. The biggest dilemma is judging where might constitute a place of safety. If, for example, an evacuation route may take the person being evacuated past a suspicious device outside of a building, evacuation may be the riskiest action to take. 7.3 Depending on the circumstances, an evacuation plan may involve: full evacuation to an area outside the building evacuation of part of a building if the device is thought to be small and thought to be a one-off confined to one location e.g. a letter bomb in a post room full evacuation to an internal safe area If external evacuation is appropriate, consideration should be given to relocating all persons to the nearest safe recognised assembly points external to the building/area e.g. normally those already identified to evacuate to in the case of fire (car parks should not be used). Ensure all access routes and the evacuation area have been checked and are safe. 7.5 The actual evacuation procedure will be as already clearly defined as in Fire West London Mental Health NHS Trust 9

10 evacuation policies but with the following exceptions: - (i) (ii) Doors and windows should be left open to minimise the affects of the blast. External assembly points must be as far away as possible. Depending on the type and size of the device, glass and metal fragments could travel several hundred metres. Advice on the assembly point must be sought from the Police, when they arrive. 7.6 If practicable during evacuation, it is important that occupants take all personal belongings with them (clearly this would not be totally possible from ward areas). A handbag or briefcase left behind and unidentified can be a potential threat to the Search Team. 8. The Search 8.1 If practicable and the threatened time of explosion allows for any complete and/or partial search of an area/department, then the selection of Search Team members and the decisions as to when, where and how the searching will be conducted, is to be made by the Incident Controller taking advice from the Police. The Police will not normally search premises following receipt of a bomb threat, as they are not as familiar with the premises and layout as the staff that work there. 8.2 Any personnel identified to search the agreed areas, should be persons familiar with the area/department and of the materials(s)/item(s) likely to be found. Searchers do not have to be expert in explosive devices. They are looking for anything that: should not be there cannot be accounted for is out of place The search must be conducted in a systematic and thorough manner so that no part of the building/area is left unchecked. In areas of the Trust considered to be at risk from terrorist/extremist action, Service Directors/Heads of Department must ensure that search plans are prepared in advance and staff are trained in them. 8.3 The members of the search team should operate in pairs, each pair being assigned a specific area to search. The two members of staff should always remain in contact with each other and if a potential device is found, the area must be cleared, the find must be immediately reported to the Incident Controller. 8.4 Under certain circumstances radio signal transmissions, ie, two way voice communication, mobile phones and paging devices (bleeps) may detonate an explosive device. As a precaution all such items must be switched off and advice taken from the Police. Likewise inside buildings light switches must not be operated. 8.5 If the location of the explosive device is not precise the search should be West London Mental Health NHS Trust 10

11 concentrated initially in parts of the building that are generally accessible. 8.6 Particular emphasis should be given to areas where inflammable materials are known to be stored, and where electric, gas and fuel services are located. Exteriors of buildings must not be overlooked (e.g. gardens, manholes, etc.). The search team should look for anything out of place, although the device may well have been designed to seem innocuous in these surroundings. 8.7 The most important instruction to members of the search team and staff generally is: DO NOT TOUCH OR MOVE ANY SUSPICIOUS OBJECT If a suspicious package is found, all persons must remove themselves to a safe distance* and isolate the risk area to prevent others from entering. Small Devices (Briefcase) the cordon must be AT LEAST 100 metres. Medium (Car) the cordon must be AT LEAST 200 metres. Large (Lorry) the cordon must be AT LEAST 400 metres. 9. Suspicious Postal Packages 9.1 As a suspect item will have passed through several handling processes before reaching the hospital, there is limited immediate risk. 9.2 The suspect package having been identified must be isolated to reduce its potential harm pending the arrival of the Police. Guidance to assist with the identification of a potential device is given at Appendix If a suspicious item is identified place it in a Bomb Bin or cover it with a bomb blanket (if available) but on no account should anyone: (a) (b) (c) Attempt to open the package or envelope Handle it unnecessarily Expose it to contamination by water, sand, chemicals or gaseous substances. An exclusion zone should be set up around the location of the suspicious package and managed on advice from the Police. 9.4 If a suspicious item is identified place it in a Bomb Bin or cover it with a bomb blanket (if available) but on no account should anyone: (d) (e) (f) Attempt to open the package or envelope Handle it unnecessarily Expose it to contamination by water, sand, chemicals or gaseous substances. West London Mental Health NHS Trust 11

12 An exclusion zone should be set up and supervised based on advice from the Police. 10. Investigation with the Sender and Addressee 10.1 Pending the arrival of the Police, the Incident Controller should question the addressee (and sender if there seems any possibility of the item being genuine) to try to identify the suspect item. 11. Declaring of the All Clear and Re-occupation of Premises/Area 11.1 The decision to allow re-occupation of the building or area affected should be announced by the Incident Controller, in consultation with the Police, if present. 12. Preventative Measures 12.1 Good housekeeping both inside and outside premises will reduce the opportunity for the planting of devices and assist with the searching process. lock unoccupied offices and store cupboards keep a place for everything and everything in its place all communal areas stairs, halls, toilets, rest rooms to be kept clean and tidy keep furniture in public areas to a minimum and ensure that they are designed without spaces that provide opportunities to hide devices keep garden areas tidy especially areas close to entrances consider the removal of litterbins or alternatively ensure they are located away from entrances and buildings lookout for and report any unusual behaviour or items out of place Policy revised by: Security Directorate West London Mental Health NHS Trust 12

13 APPENDIX 1 Bomb Threat Form Action Contact the Unit Coordinator/Senior Manager on Site/Control Room (as Call appropriate depending on the Trust Site) Take advice from the Unit Coordinator/Senior Manager on Site/Control Room/Nursing Administration as to whether evacuation is necessary. If so, commence evacuation of the affected area. Record the call if possible Tell the caller which organisation you are answering from Ask the caller who he/she is calling on behalf of RECORD THE EXACT WORDING OF THE THREAT ASK THESE QUESTIONS 1. Where is the device right now? 2. When is it going to explode? 3. What does it look like? 4. What kind of device is it? 5. What will cause it to explode? 6. Did you place the bomb? 7. Why? 8. What is your name? 9. What is your address? 10. What is your telephone number? West London Mental Health NHS Trust 13

14 APPENDIX 1 cont d. RECORD TIME CALL COMPLETED WHERE AUTOMATIC NUMBER REVEAL EQUIPMENT IS AVAILABLE RECORD NUMBER SHOWN INFORM PERSON/PERSONS TO BE INFORMED (Record name and telephone number of person(s) informed) THIS SECTION SHOULD BE COMPLETED ONCE THE CALLER HAS HUNG UP AND POLICE AND OTHER PERSON(S) HAVE BEEN INFORMED Time and date of call Length of call Number at which call is received (including the extension number) ABOUT THE CALLER Sex of caller? Male Female Nationality Age THREAT LANGUAGE Well spoken Irrational Taped Foul Incoherent Message read by threat maker West London Mental Health NHS Trust 14

15 APPENDIX 1 cont d. CALLERS VOICE Calm Crying Throat Clearing Angry Nasal Slurred Excited Stutter Disguised Slow Lisp Accent * Rapid Deep Familiar Laughter Hoarse If the voice sounded familiar, whose did it sound like? * What accent? BACKGROUND SOUNDS Street noises House noises Animal noises Crockery Motor Clear Voice Static PA system Booth Music Factory machinery Office machinery Other (specify) REMARKS This form must be completed immediately and taken by hand to the Unit Coordinator/Senior Manager on Site/Site Manager (as appropriate) and a copy must be made available to the Police. A copy must also be sent to the Director of Security and Associate Director- Integrated Risk Reduction. This form is adapted from the bomb threat checklist available from the Centre for Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI). West London Mental Health NHS Trust 15

16 APPENDIX 2 Identification of Suspect Postal Packets Signs that might lead to suspicion of a letter or parcel. By themselves these signs may be innocent but a combination of them must be considered suspect. SIZE SHAPE SENDER STAMP SEAL STAIN SMELL Is the letter big enough to house a device without being obvious e.g. Jiffy bags, Videotapes etc. Is the shape uniform e.g. lumps denoting the possibility of batteries switching system Do you recognise who sent it from the postmark, label or typeface? Do they match? Can you check the recipient? Are there any stamps or is it over stamped? Is the postmark blurred, smudged or missing altogether? Has the letter or parcel been sealed more securely denoting it contains something that must not fall out? Is there excessive use of staples, tape etc. Is there an oily stain showing through the wrapping or oily fingerprints on the outside? Some explosives weep/sweat small amounts of liquid that will produce stains. Explosives can smell. A strange smell such as almonds or marzipan should therefore be treated with suspicion. Equally an overpowering smell, say of perfume, could be used to cover other smells. At Broadmoor Hospital, all postal packets are x-rayed upon delivery. The use of x- ray will provide further information to assist in the identification of suspect parcels. Training for staff who are regularly involved in handling mail (e.g. staff working in post rooms) can be obtained from the local Police Crime Prevention Officer or the Security Directorate. West London Mental Health NHS Trust 16