POLICE in Hampshire have thrown their support behind a national anti-terror campaign.

Officers in the county are backing the Counter Terrorism Police as the unit urges the public to help them tackle terrorism and save lives by reporting suspicious behaviour.

According to police figures, 82 per cent of adults in the UK have said they would report suspicious behaviour to officers.

From today, Hampshire Constabulary is backing the efforts of the National Counter Terrorism Police’s ‘Action Counters Terrorism’ (ACT) campaign.

Detective Chief Superintendent Kath Barnes, head of Counter Terrorism Policing south east, said the unit will take “all information seriously” offered to them by the community.

She said: “It is vital for the public to know that no mater how small the matter might be, if you think it is suspicious and you have concerns, report it.

“Counter Terrorism Policing South East will take all information seriously, any piece of information could be important, it is better to be safe and report.

“Communities are the key to defeating terrorism and you can help us prevent terrorism and save lives through your actions.”

The new head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing has used the launch of a campaign about terrorist attack planning methods to reveal that more than a fifth of reports from the public produce intelligence which is helpful to police.

Police have also revealed a short film based on real-life foiled plots which show examples of terrorist-related suspicious activity.

Assistant commissioner of specialist operations (ACSO), Neil Basu, praised the public’s willingness to act in response to last year’s rise in terrorist activity.

Last year saw a rental car driven into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, the Manchester Arena tragedy and a blast on the London Underground, among other terrorist acts that required the brave actions of emergency services.

ACSO Basu said: “We need your help to exploit opportunities for police and the security services to discover and stop these attacks before they happen.

“That could be someone buying or storing chemicals or gas cylinders for no obvious reasons, or receiving deliveries for unusual items. This new film has been made to try and demonstrate that each report from the public can be one vital piece of a much larger picture. No report is a waste of our time, trust your instincts.”