Members of the Barnet Communities Together Network (CTN) are deeply shocked at the tragic events at Manchester Arena on Monday 22nd May 2017 and share the national condemnation of this atrocious act. Our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of those who were killed or injured.
An emergency session of CTN met today including local political and faith leaders, Community Barnet, Middlesex University, community groups, the London Borough of Barnet Chief Executive, Borough Police Commander and Borough Fire Commander. The meeting discussed how we must remain alert and vigilant, as we continue to work closely together to reassure residents and keep Barnet a safe place for residents, businesses and visitors.
Our message to Barnet residents and businesses is: “Be alert and not alarmed”. We ask all our communities to stay calm, safe and vigilant following these tragic and shocking events. It is important that we look after our families, our neighbours and others in our communities, resist retaliating to acts of religious hatred or violence, report any suspicious circumstances and acts of intolerance and seek support and assistance from community groups, faith leaders and the local police.
If you witness a hate crime or act of violence, please be encouraged to report the incident to the police, however insignificant it may seem.
To report anything suspicious, members of the public are advised to call the Anti-Terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321
Following the increase in threat status to critical, armed police may be more visible in the community. This is to reassure residents. There is no specific intelligence about any threat to Barnet, but it is wise to be prepared and cautious.
In Barnet, we are very proud of our diversity and community cohesion and we stand together, united to keep Barnet a special place where residents get on well together and our diverse cultural communities continue to live and work peacefully alongside one another.
We support the comments of Trevor Alexander, Vice-Chair of Barnet Multi-Faith Forum:
“Barnet Multi-Faith Forum condemns all acts of violence and is committed to working towards a peaceful, tolerant and inclusive society. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who are suffering as a result of the terrorist attack in Manchester.”
The Barnet Communities Together Network is a group of multi-agency partners representing the borough’s statutory, community and faith organisations. It is co-chaired by the Council and CommUnity Barnet.
- Information and a video from the National Counter Terrorism Security Office on how to stay safe in the event of being caught up in an attack.
- Citizen Aid app that gives advice on what to do in an incident.