Informing public about potential threats a complex matter: experts
TORONTO — A day after vague police statements about a “potential risk” in the Greater Toronto Area sparked confusion and anxiety, security and communications experts said law enforcement must strive to be transparent without stoking public fears when sharing details about unconfirmed threats.
Toronto police said Thursday that “unconfirmed, uncorroborated” information led them to ramp up the number of officers in the city’s downtown core. Officers did not provide specifics on the nature of the potential risk and simultaneously encouraged the public to “come on down” to the area. The lack of detail left some residents wondering if they might be in serious danger.
Such circumstances are extremely challenging for police and, as public awareness of terrorism grows, they may become more common, said Satyamoorthy Kabilan, a national security specialist with the Conference Board of Canada think tank.
“If (police) provide too much transparency on every single incident that occurs, you might end up with public panic and the public going, ‘Oh my god I can’t go anywhere,” said Kabilan, who helped the United Kingdom develop its National Counter Terrorism Strategy.