Britons told to ‘run, hide, and tell' in the event of an armed terror attack

National Police Chiefs’ Council issue guidance detailing what steps people should take to stay alive

Official advice has been issued by police chiefs in the event of terror attack being launched in the UK.

Published by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), people have been instructed to ‘run, hide, tell’, if they find themselves faced with an armed assailant.

The guidance is accompanied by a four minute film clearly detailing what steps people should take to stay alive.

Survivors of terror attacks owed their life to the advice given in the video, police say.

Focussing on firearms and weapons attacks rather than explosives, the information has been published a little more than a month after the Paris massacre.

The bloodbath saw 130 people dead after coordinated attacks in the French capital, with attackers opening fire at point blank range.

“The probability of being caught up in a firearms or weapons attack is very, very small. (PA)

In the video Assistant Commissioner in National Counter Terrorism Policing (NCTP), Mark Rowley, says: “Tragic events from around the world remind us of the need to always be prepared.

“You should see this as an opportunity to plan how you would respond to such a threat and stay safe.”

With one arrest a day being made by counter terrorism police, the public were reassured that the likelihood of an attack is slim.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner in the NCTP, Neil Basu, said: “With the threat level remaining at a high level, the police and security service continue to operate at a heightened state of readiness.

“The probability of being caught up in a firearms or weapons attack is very, very small.

“However, it is important the public know what to do in the event of getting caught up in such an incident.”

He added the public should ‘not be alarmed’ by the NPCC’s decision to issue the advice.

But with the level of terror threat on UK soil ranked as ‘severe’, the advice comes nearly two weeks after Leytonstone tube station was brought to a standstill following a brutal stabbing.

Reportedly shouting ‘this is for Syria’ - the same phrase said to be used in the Bataclan Theatre shootout in Paris - Muhaydin Mire allegedly slashed a man’s throat.

The 29-year-old is awaiting trial at the Old Bailey for attempted murder.