Police urge teenagers not to take photos if caught up in a terror attack

Campaign urges children to be taught to 'run, hide, tell' in event of terrorist incident

Teenagers and children are being warned not to use their smartphones to take pictures during a terror attack, as part of a new campaign to save lives in the event of a future attack.

The new anti-terror awareness video warns young people to “run, hide, tell”, with police calling for children to be taught in school what to do if they witness a terror attack.

Police recently advised people not to stop and record such incidents, citing the bombing at Parsons Green station in London.

Minutes after the event, images and video of the partially exploded bomb appeared online, with some recording the smouldering bucket rather than rushing to leave the station.

The campaign features TV survivalist Bear Grylls, footballer Jamie Vardy and Olympian Jade Jones.

Met Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy D'Orsi said talking about terrorism can be “scary” for both parents and children but it is a necessity.

Twenty-two people died, including a number of children, after suicide bomber Salman Abedi carried out an attack at an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena in May.

“The atrocities in London and Manchester have sadly resulted in some of the youngest victims of terror this country has ever seen, and if we are able to teach children to act in a way which could potentially save their lives then it is our responsibility to do so,” Ms D'Orsi said.

“We are particularly concerned when we see people - young and old - using their mobiles to film scenes when they should be moving away from the danger.

“Our research showed that many young people think filming would be a good thing to provide evidence for police. We must get them to understand that the priority must be their safety.”

The UK terror threat is currently at severe, which means an attack is highly likely.

Police have launched a series of campaigns advising people to run if they see a terror attack taking place, or hide if fleeing the area is not an option, before alerting the authorities when it is safe to do so.

The campaign is pushing for this message to be taught to 11 to 16-year-olds in schools and colleges.