The Kerslake Inquiry into the Manchester Arena attack on 22 May 2017, found that overall the response of the emergency services had been very positive.

One of the fascinating presentations at the 2017 ‘SARTISS’ international search and rescue conference in Romania was by Ronald Poropatich, of the Center for Military Medicine Research in the US.

The first joint Branch and Professional Working Group seminar was held at Leicestershire Police HQ on 12 July. Thirty five members and paying guests spent an informative day learning about the threat, defence measures, training and exercising plus a case study. Due to the raised profile of CBRN in UK it is hoped that the CBRN PWG will work with other branches to develop learning. Andy McCombe, Chair of the East Midlands Branch, said that it was great to see so many members from other branches making the trip to improve their knowledge and network with other members and guests.

Significant outbreaks of disease are among the highest impact risks faced by any society – threatening lives and causing disruption to public services and the economy. This is true whether such outbreaks occur naturally, such as pandemic influenza or emerging infectious diseases, or in the less likely event of a disease being caused by an accidental release from scientific or industrial facilities, or as the result of a deliberate biological attack. Large scale disease outbreaks in animals or plants can be equally significant in terms of economic, environmental and social impact