United Kingdom Terror Threat Levels | |
![]() Sign at the Ministry of Defence Main Building declaring a "HEIGHTENED" counter-terrorist response level | |
General information | |
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Current Level (National) | SUBSTANTIAL |
Current Level (Northern Ireland) | SUBSTANTIAL |
The United Kingdom Terror Threat Levels, often referred to as UK Threat Levels, are the alert states that have been in use since 1 August 2006 by the British government to warn of forms of terrorist activity. In September 2010 the threat levels for Northern Ireland-related terrorism were also made available.[1] In July 2019 changes were made to the terrorism threat level system, to reflect the threat posed by all forms of terrorism, irrespective of ideology. There is now a single national threat level describing the threat to the UK, which includes Islamist, Northern Ireland, left-wing and right-wing terrorism.[1] Before 2006, a colour-based alert scheme known as BIKINI state was used.[2] The response indicates how government departments and agencies and their staffs should react to each threat level.