Westminster attacks: a message from CEO Robert Morton

We stand united in solidarity today after yesterday’s tragic events in Westminster. 

Needless to say my thoughts and condolences have very much been with those injured, and with the families and colleagues of the innocent people who lost their lives, particularly that of PC Keith Palmer. I know my sense of sadness and shock in losing a member of our 999 family will also resonate with many of you. 

I have the utmost respect and gratitude for our emergency service colleagues that attended the incident yesterday; for their bravery in what they were faced with, and for how they responded. Regretfully, these senseless attacks reiterate why we must always be vigilant. Why we have to keep investing time and energy in the development and resilience of our service. Why planning and preparedness matters. And regardless of our role we all have a part to play in that – it sounds obvious but simple measures like reporting anything suspicious and checking the ID of people you don’t know can make a genuine difference, and help us to keep each other safe. 

Yesterday’s events are a tremendously difficult reminder of why we are always ready to respond, so we can protect our colleagues and our communities as far as possible. 

Today we stand united with London, and our 999 family. 

Robert

Published 23^rd March, 2017