What is a major incident?
A major incident is: ‘An event or situation that
threatens serious damage to human welfare... the
environment or the security of the United Kingdom’.
We must prepare for any of the following:
- Natural hazards such as snow, floods and
gales
- Man-made disasters such as rail accidents
and motorway pileups
- Industrial accidents such as oil spills
and factory fires
- Terrorism
- Food poisoning and disease
outbreaks such as BSE, foot and mouth and E-coli
What is Cheshire Police's role in the event of a major
incident?
Each agency has a role to play in a major incident, from the
fire service and environmental agency, to the local media. Each
individual helps in their area of expertise.
Sergeant Keith Robbins, Cheshire Police's Critical Incident
Manager, said:
In the case of any Major Incident your safety
is our main concern. We have various procedures in
place to make sure that the disruption to your daily lives is as
minimal as possible.
We are responsible for the co-ordination of the
emergency services, local authorities and other
organisations involved at the scene or elsewhere. This
allows those agencies to do their jobs efficiently.
In the unlikely event of a Major Incident we are required to
create cordons restricting access to the rescue zone and potential
crime scene. The Police control all the goings on around the area
like diverting traffic, controlling the media, setting up meeting
points etc.
It is our job along with any other investigative bodies to find
out what exactly happened by securing any potential evidence. We
then will pass on as much information as possible to the relevant
authorities.
After all necessary actions have been taken we put in place
short term measures to restore normality.
- Sergeant Keith Robbins, Cheshire Police's Critical Incident
Manager