If there is a terrorist incident or some other threat or event involving national security, there is a seamless response programme which mobilizes all relevant services under the COBRA umbrella, delivering exceptional outcomes in often challenging and heartrending crises. But we have seen several instances of what might be called civil threats, for example the Foot and Mouth outbreak, sudden floods and now the terrible Grenfell Tower disaster, when the initial response at best has been far short of what was expected and where victims have been left to struggle with little support.
This is not good enough and must change. Cobra’s reach must be extended or a new civil authority must be set up to mobilize, coordinate and rehearse the responses of all civil authorities to unexpected events which leave victims traumatised and thus far it seems, authorities, beyond emergency responders, paralysed. We disbanded Civil Defence as the risk of World War Three receded. Now we need something to replace it, tailored to the times in which we live.