WILTSHIRE Police assistant chief constable Kier Pritchard has issued a calming statement following the decision to raise the national threat level to critical.

Critical level means an attack is expected imminently however ACC Pritchard told the people of Wiltshire that there is no specific threat to the county and that residents are unlikely to notice a marked increase in military personnel in the street.

His full statement read: “The thoughts of everyone at Wiltshire Police remain with those affected following the horrific events in Manchester on Monday evening.

"Yesterday the decision was taken by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) to raise the national threat level to critical.

"This means that an attack remains highly likely but also that a further attack may be imminent.

"As part of the response to this raise to critical Military personnel will be deployed to backfill police officers at key locations across the country.

"There is no known specific threat to Wiltshire and the South West region at this time and it is unlikely that our communities will see a military presence on the streets.

"The most important message is for the public to remain alert but not alarmed – police nationally and locally along with our partners, are doing everything we can to help protect the security of our citizens, public institutions, critical national infrastructure, and businesses and places.

"Communities defeat terrorism, which is why we must maintain the strong relationship between the public and police. We depend on information from the public, who can be our eyes and ears, in our efforts to keep us all safe.

"Our security measures and activities are under constant review and we will keep communities updated.

"We advise the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious behaviour or activity on 0800 789 321 or in an emergency the public should always call 999."

The latest guidance on recognising the terrorist threat and remaining vigilant can be accessed via nactso.gov.uk

For further information about reporting suspicious behaviour visit https://act.campaign.gov.uk