Mass text plan to warn public of disasters

Published on Saturday 21 March 2009 18:34

SCOTS are set to get special "text alert" warnings of natural disasters, industrial accidents and terror attacks, Scotland on Sunday can reveal.

The Scottish Government yesterday confirmed that it is considering plans to collect hundreds of thousands of mobile phone numbers for use in emergencies.

Officials in the police and other 999 services believe they could get quick safety messages out to the public in the event of disasters or danger – but only if they can get their hands on the numbers they need.

Their proposal comes after sources within the emergency services admitted they have sometimes struggled to keep members of the public informed of ongoing incidents and scares in recent years.

There were complaints in Grangemouth three years ago after many people missed an emergency broadcast about a potentially dangerous gas leak at the town's massive port and petrochemical complex – because they didn't catch the radio and TV news. The town has since installed state-of-the-art public alarm sirens, but residents are eager to get text warnings too, their MSP said last night.

America introduced a nationwide Emergency Text Alert system this time last year after authorities were stung by criticism of the way they keep the public informed after both the Oklahoma bombing in 1995 and the atrocities of September 11, 2001.

Police and emergency planning sources last night stressed that nobody in the proposed Scottish version of the system would be forced to hand over their mobile numbers – but said that officials could eventually want to find other uses for a mobile phone database.

One source said: "Basically the public would be asked to opt in to a scheme where they would send their mobile number and their postcode to the authorities.

"Eventually, the police could even text people in a certain post code to see if they witnessed a crime or a road traffic accident, as long as people were happy for their numbers to be used that way."

If implemented, the scheme is likely to be rolled out first for people living close to major sensitive installations, such as nuclear power plants or chemical factories.

Cathy Peattie, the Labour MSP for Falkirk East whose constituency covers Grangemouth, welcomed the proposal.

She said: "This is a good idea. I am pretty sure most of my constituents will take up the offer and hand over their numbers. I, of course, would want to hear what the civil liberties lobby says about this. But, as long as it is voluntary, I don't have a problem with the scheme."

John Scott, a lawyer who has a long track record of civil rights activism, last night said he saw no problem with "opt-in" programmes but warned that the authorities should be wary of "function creep", one number taken for one purpose could be used for another.

A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: "We continue to work with local responders to improve how they, supported by central Government, can best respond to emergency situations, to keep the public informed and protected.

"We and our local partners are examining a range of measures, including the possibility of 'opt-in' texting services, within the wider context of local warning and informing measures."

The Central Scotland Strategic Coordinating Group, one of eight emergency response committees bringing together emergency services and other bodies, confirmed that it was looking at alerting the public by text and e-mail, among other measures.

Environment watchdog Sepa has already begun to develop a text alert scheme for people who are likely to be affected by flooding. It is scheduled to be in place by 2011.