If BALPA had sent this kind of attachment with their wonderfully enlightening text message, then a few questions may well have been answered !:-
"I have had a few enquiries yesterday following a suggestion that our security threat level had been increased to SEVERE (Terrorist attack highly likely). There has also been mention of the news this morning.
Last year, being a government body, MI5 decided to complicate things and have different levels for different threats (more specifically, Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, JTAC). The National threat level was raised to severe in January last year and has stayed there ever since. In september, threat levels from Irish terrorism was published for the 1st time, Northern Ireland being Severe and the rest of GB being Substantial (terrorist attack is a strong possibility).
The terrorist threat level specific to transport hubs has been increased from substantial to severe in response to an overall elevated threat of terrorism in the country, although there is no intelligence of a possible imminent attack. The heightened alert level, which authorities have called precautionary, includes airports and London railway terminals; an increased police presence at related transports hubs across the United Kingdom is expected. The overall national threat level remains at severe; the sub-grading of specific sectors of the national infrastructure is usually not made public. However, it is believed that authorities announced the change to alert the public and raise awareness around major transport hubs. Intelligence reports in October 2010 had raised Europe-wide concerns about an alleged al-Qaeda plot to launch 'Mumbai-style' terrorist attacks in France, Germany and the UK. The arrest of nine people in the UK at the end of December on charges concerning an alleged plot for a bomb attack during Christmas furthermore indicates the persistent risk of a possible terrorist risk, which may particularly target the transport sector. Travellers are advised to exercise caution in the vicinity of all public transport terminals and should report any suspicious persons or packages to the relevant authorities.
Threat levels in themselves do not require specific responses from the public or industry. They are a tool for security practitioners working across different sectors of what we call the Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) and the police to use in determining what protective security response may be required. By its very nature, intelligence cannot be revealed completely and there will always be limitations to what we can say about security and the responses we have planned.
Back in December, the Metropolitan Police Service launched a campaign called 'If you suspect it, report it' to raise awareness of the threat to the UK from terrorism and published the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.
So, what does this all mean for us? Well, not a lot. We all just have to be mindful that we all operate as part of a very valuable but fragile infrastructure. We should be looking at planning for extra time for security at airports, especially if we are a commercial passenger as extra checks are likely and may take longer that usual.
I hope this is useful but should you have any concerns or queries, please do not hesitate to call..."
Now, i'll be the first to admit that the Security Officer at my employer is exceptionally good, but could BALPA not have come up with something very similar ???................