The British government plans to train some 60,000 citizens as part of a new national security strategy. These people, already employed in various capacities, will be trained to respond to acts of terrorism. This is the declaration of Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

The training program is also designed for people employed in hotels and shops, just some of the people who may be in direct experience of a terrorist attack.

In relation to its size, this effort by far surpasses all exercises for disaster preparedness that have been developed and implemented in the whole world. This is also as much an indication of the level of paranoia that Britain may presently be in. No one can fault the British government for not employing a functional plan in risk management, especially now that UK is one of the places that will host some of the inmates of Guantanamo. The infamous ‘anti-terror’ detention center is about to close down.

”We are clear that if we address the threat of terrorism, we must do it with 60,000 people now,” said Smith over BBC radio. She adds, “It is not something that can be done behind closed doors and in secret.”

On Tuesday, the British government published what it claims to be a comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy.

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Via Yahoo! News