Counter-terrorism exercise staged

Sussex and Surrey Police have revealed they staged a joint counter-terrorism training exercise to see how they could respond to a major threat together.



More than 1,000 officers and staff took part in "Exercise Lions Keep" to test contingency plans two weeks ago.

Participants were not told what threat they would face so they would respond as though the events were real.

Sussex and Surrey Police said the exercise showed their forces could work together to meet major threats.

The joint operation took 12 months to plan.

Endurance of staff

Surrey Police Chief Constable Bob Quick said: "Exercise Lions Keep succeeded in testing both the preparedness and interoperability of Surrey and Sussex in dealing with both a major terrorist attack and terrorism crimes in action.

"The sheer commitment, talent and endurance of the staff from the key agencies involved was there for all to see."

Surrey and Sussex Police said public services had not been affected by the exercise.

Under the Civil Contingencies Act the police have to regularly test emergency procedures.

Last Updated: Saturday, 24 March 2007, 14:53 GMT
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