An innocuous looking government tender caught my eye this morning (here) over on the Tenders Electronic Daily website. I half expected the invitation to tender, issued by the Home Office, Crime Reduction and Community Safety Group, to have something to do with one of those neighbourhood watch schemes.
So you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that it's actually for 'the provision of a complete Chemical Biological Radiation and Nuclear personal protective ensemble, that can be safely donned in under 5 minutes over regular uniform shirt and trousers, and worn for up to 12 hours with minimal physiological stress.'
In light of the present terrorist threat the request doesn't seem that unusual. Until I realised that the number of 'Chemical Biological Radiation and Nuclear ensembles' being ordered is a staggering 12,000.
So, I moved on to the next tender advertised by the Home Office, Crime Reduction and Community Safety Group. Under the title of public address systems, the Group is also seeking quotes for 'the provision of a public communication system that allows for the delivery of self-help and instructional information to the public at or within a Chemical Biological Radiation and Nuclear (CBRN) cordoned area. ... This equipment must be capable of operation by a single individual either remotely from the exterior of the inner cordon or in the inner cordon itself. The equipment must be compatable for use by an officer wearing CBRN personal protective equipment (including respirator).'
In light of the present terrorist threat the request doesn't seem that unusual. Until I realised that the Group wants to order 372 of these 'public communication systems'.
It's one thing John Reid and the Home Office talking tough about the terrorist threat, but when they start spending money you know it's serious. Particularly when the money is being spent on items such as these and being purchased under the guise of the Home Office, Crime Reduction and Community Safety Group.
Tenders Electronic Daily »
Ref number: OJS 2006/S 245-263315 (issued 23 Dec)
Ref number: OJS 2006/S 245-263314 (issued 23 Dec)
Update 2: Home Office Order 8000 'Dirty Bomb' Body Bags »
Update 1: BBC report the story »
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
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7 comments:
Stop beating about the bush and say what you really think.
12,000 bio-hazard suits to be purchased by the Home Office and not one column inch in the press?
Well spotted there. I'm going to ask a few parliamentary questions about this procurement project and mentioned it on my blog.
Tom, I hope you get the answers you're looking for. There's also the question of the 372 public communications systems. How will they be allocated throughout the UK? Labour areas only? Heat maps?
Would you be offended if I nominated you for blogging scoop of the year at Con Home? The competition is pretty thin at the moment.
Not at all PT. But I think you have to be a card-carrying member of the Conservative Party to be nominated. Which I'm not. Conservative (with a small c) yes, but not a member of the party.
A story emerges that 12,000 nuclear protection suits are being ordered by the Home Office a few weeks after the Litvinenko case hits the headlines. Litvinenko is poisoned by Polonium 210 one of the uses of which is the trigger for a nuclear weapon (a fact which is surprisingly little commented on in the media). Could the two, as at least one website has already suggested, be connected?
24 Nov 2006 - Don't Mention Chechnya. Or A Dirty Bomb.
Litvinenko: 'Like A Rehearsal For A Dirty Bomb'
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