Preparing for Terrorism: An Emergency Services Guide

I found the book very useful for my MSc course. It is well written except for one part that I disagree with, pp27-28, where terrorists were described as "not very intelligent" and operated without a "coherent plan of action."Terrorists are as normal as you can get [see Hendrick, C. (ed)(1987) Group Processes and Intergrouop Relations: Social Psychology of Terrorist Groups, Sage, Newbury Park, pp234-235]: everything about them is average. The fact that they have been able to carry out so many missions and have been successful in killing so many people tells us something. While risk managers may fear them or choose not to fear them, the greater fear is if we underestimate their potential.

Dr. Buck covers the subject very thoroughly. Terrorism, just like any other hazard requires thoughtful planning when an incident occurs. Planning for disasters is not new and this guide provides the reader with a step-by-step method to prepare for such an event. Many existing plans for other hazards already give jurisdictions a substantial capability to meet the challenges of a terrorism incident. This book is a must for anyone who is tasked to prepare for a terrorist incident.