A WEEK-LONG police campaign to raise awareness of counter terrorism draws to an end this weekend.

The campaign, which coincided with the National Counter Terrorism Awareness Week, aimed to inform the public about how they can help keep themselves and their local community safe in the event of a terrorist incident.

During the week, a variety of messages and information has been published through social media channels including a short film which gives advice on what to do in the event of an incident and guidance on how to anonymously report suspicious online terrorist and extremist content.

Officers from the Prevent team, alongside PCSO Andrew MacLachlan who is a hate crime advisor within the Force, and Assistant Chief Constable Kier Pritchard, also gave a presentation to public service students at Wiltshire College.

The session included tone session which focused on hate crime and a second session which looked at counter terrorism and radicalisation.

ACC Pritchard said: “The session we held at Wiltshire College was really engaging and no doubt it was extremely beneficial to the students. Many of these students could one day become police officers so it was really interesting to have a conversation with them about a subject that is often seen as a taboo. It is important that we talk about issues such as radicalisation, online extremist content and how communities, including students, can help us defeat terrorism.

“It is important to reiterate that we do not want the public to be alarmed but we do want them to be alert.

“Like all other police services up and down the country, Wiltshire Police is working hard to keep people safe but we do need the support of our local communities and businesses.

“Police services depend on information they receive from the public who act as our eyes and ears in our bid to keep people safe. If something concerns you, report it.”

Student Cameron MacInnes, 16, from Trowbridge, said: "It was a really useful and interesting factual presentation that I feel was a real benefit to us as Public Services students."

William Johnston, 17, also from Trowbridge, said: "Even though it isn't a huge problem, it is scary to learn that hate crime can happen in Wiltshire.

"I think it's something that we all think happens somewhere else, not where we live.

"I feel following on from the presentation and session that I might be able to recognise and identify the signs if perhaps someone was being radicalised or if they potentially could be a victim of a hate crime or incident."

On Wednesday, a live one-hour question and answer session was held with the Prevent team on Twitter under the hashtag #PreventTerrorism, which the force felt was an effective way of answering the public’s concerns regarding radicalisation and terrorism, and enabled the team to share some important messages.

ACC Pritchard added: “It has been a really successful week, and it will continue this weekend where we will be focusing our messaging on how the public can stay safe over the busy Christmas period when they are likely to be visiting crowded places. We advise the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious behaviour or activity to the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321, or in an emergency the public should always call 999.

“In addition, Run, Hide, Tell is the easy-to-remember message that explains what people should do if they are confronted by terrorists. A short film is available to view at www.npcc.police.uk/staysafe.”