Letters have been sent to hundreds of organisations in the county inviting them to one of the events that will be taking place during April.

The workshops, going by the name of Project Argus, are aimed at managers, assistant managers and floor supervisors in businesses located within crowded places in urban settings. Whether in retail, office based or bars and clubs, Project Argus can confer benefits in terms of raising awareness about the threat from terrorism and provides practical advice on preventing, handling and recovering from an attack.

Detective Inspector Steve Sidaway said: “The terrorist attacks in London during July 2005 and the Haymarket bomb attack in 2007 dramatically highlighted the need for businesses of all sizes to plan how they deal with the disruption caused by a major crisis, emergency or incident. What we know of the threat from international terrorism is that places where large numbers of people gather, travel or go about their daily business can be favoured for attack. There is however, no information to suggest that Warwickshire is any more likely to suffer a terrorist attack than any other part of the country.

“There will be four workshops planned to take place this month in different areas of Warwickshire. Each of these will feature a tabletop, multi-media simulation of a terrorist bomb attack where delegates will be faced with a series of questions and dilemmas to resolve, both individually and collectively.”

“The workshops will provide businesses with a unique opportunity to learn how to protect themselves, their staff and customers, whether a national chain or small business.”

The events are not designed to scare or concern people but to increase awareness of counter terrorism issues and to help businesses develop continuity plans.

The events have been organised by Warwickshire Police in conjunction with the Warwickshire Local Resilience Forum.

Each workshop will last for approximately four hours at no cost to delegates or businesses.

DI Sidaway added: “This is very important work, which will enable business leaders to respond more effectively if a serious incident occurs in their area.

I urge as many people as possible to take this opportunity to help prepare for such an incident.”

The workshops are due to take place on:

• Tuesday, April 22 in Rugby
• Wednesday, April 23 in Nuneaton
• Tuesday, April 29 in Stratford
• Wednesday, April 30 in Leamington

The organiser of the events is Detective Constable Bob Church from Warwickshire Police. Anyone who would like to attend one of the workshops can contact him on 01926 415145 or by e-mail at CTSA@warwickshire.pnn.police.uk