Operation Sassoon
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Operation Sassoon provides a basic generic framework for an emergency evacuation plan of any part of London, or Heathrow, in the case of a major terrorist attack in the British capital. It is part of an extensive anti-terror plan installed by the British Government in response to the rising threat of terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom. The plan, first drawn up in 2003, oversees the partial or complete evacuation of the inner parts of London after either a large-scale assault affecting a larger area of the city or an event having a lasting effect over a longer period of time, such as a biological, chemical or nuclear attack. Besides the actual evacuation process, Operation Sassoon covers the principles of large-scale evacuation, the installation of temporary shelters for evacuees in assigned areas outside the city, activation of the plan and the roles and responsibilities of agencies under the plan, as well as the deployment of police and military forces for maintaining civil order after a major attack has occurred.
According to newspaper reports, the plans were drawn up upon the instructions of John Prescott MP, the Deputy Prime Minister, and senior officers at the Metropolitan Police. The draft plans were submitted to the London Resilience Forum, which at the time was chaired by Nick Raynsford MP with Ken Livingstone as his deputy.
A plan was developed by a multi agency team made up of local authority, transport and police representatives led by a senior MPS officer working closely with colleagues in the South East and East of England Regions. The first version of the framework document was published on 31 December 2003 and the current version was last revised in April 2005.
On 25 October 2004, Paul Goodman, Conservative MP for Wycombe, tabled a Parliamentary question in the House of Commons which was answered by Nick Raynsford MP, the then Minister of State for Local and Regional Government, on plans to use High Wycombe as a care shelter as part of Operation Sassoon. The answer given by the Minister is on record at Hansard.
Operation Sassoon has specific importance as the South East has the highest number of potential targets for disruptive action in England. These include:
- five major airports and the most congested airspace
- the largest number of nuclear establishments
- 11 maritime ports, four container ports and the most congested sea-lanes
- around 700 miles of coastline
- the most complex motorway and railway networks
- a significant number of large-scale social and sporting events and locations
The surrounding regions of South Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire would be involved in receiving evacuees.
The plan was replaced in 2009 by a less rigid set of arrangements to evacuate instead parts of London rather than the whole of London. OP Sassoon has therefore been consigned to history.[citation needed]
What is known about Operation Sassoon
- It lists Canary Wharf, Heathrow, Westminster, Whitehall and the City as possible targets.
- Public transport loading points (known as HUBS) have been pre-determined; people will be expected to walk to these locations, from where they will then be transported to unloading points (known as HEADS). Special road routes, known as High Capacity Emergency Access Routes (HCEARS) have been designated for people who self evacuate in their own private vehicles, and to allow for the expedient access of emergency services vehicles arriving from outside London. There is a specific traffic plan to deal with the use of the M25 and the radial feeding motorways. It will have a reliance on police resources as blocking vehicles.
- Railway stations have been identified within London, which are suitable for the embarkation of evacuees (Rail Hubs). Typically, these stations are the existing Central London termini, with suitable fall-backs also identified. In the event of a large-scale evacuation being invoked, the normal advertised timetable will be suspended and replaced by an evacuation service designed to provide a safe and simple means of transporting the maximum possible number of evacuees away from the affected area in the shortest possible time.
- An air exclusion zone will be introduced over the affected areas.
- Local Authorities and the voluntary sector will provide for evacuees. Initial reception will provide basic accommodation, drinking water and toilet facilities for up to 48 hours after the incident.