Representatives from a range of local organisations came together on Tuesday 18th November to take part in a desktop emergency exercise designed to test and strengthen Shrewsbury’s existing emergency plans.
Hosted at the Shrewsbury Town Council's offices, the exercise brought together partners including West Mercia Police, Shrewsbury Town Council, Shrewsbury BID, Town Rangers, and Shopping Centre management, alongside input from Shropshire Council, Severn Trent, Emergency Planning Teams, and Fire and Ambulance Service NILOs (National Inter-Agency Liaison Officers).
The exercise provided a fictional scenario set during a Christmas Lights Switch On event in Shrewsbury, requiring multiple organisations to work together to safeguard the public while ensuring emergency services could access the scene of an unfolding incident. The scenario offered partners the chance to explore how they would collaborate under pressure and maintain public safety during one of the town’s busiest seasonal events.
The session focused on ensuring the safety of the public in the event of a major incident in the town centre. It provided an opportunity for operational commanders and key local partners to work collaboratively, test their joint decision-making, and review how established contingency plans would be put into action in a coordinated way.
The exercise was based around the JESIP principles (Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Programme), designed to improve communication and cooperation between emergency responders.
With major town events such as the Christmas Lights Switch-On and Carols in the Square attracting thousands of residents and visitors each year, the exercise has proven particularly valuable in helping partners ensure that Shrewsbury’s town centre remains a safe and resilient environment for everyone.
Helen Ball, Town Clerk of Shrewsbury Town Council, said:
Exercises like this are vital in helping us prepare for the unexpected. By bringing together all of the local agencies and organisations who would be first to respond in an emergency, we can strengthen communication, identify areas for improvement, and make sure that our plans work in practice—not just on paper. With lots of events taking place in the town, this exercise has provided an invaluable opportunity to test our collective readiness and ensure public safety remains our top priority.”Chief Inspector Graham Preece of West Mercia Police said:
Working together in a realistic scenario like this is essential to ensuring we are fully prepared to respond swiftly and effectively should a real incident occur. The exercise allowed us to test how we coordinate with our partner agencies, make critical decisions under pressure, and keep the public safe during a major event. Our shared commitment to planning and preparedness is key to maintaining the safety and resilience of Shrewsbury’s town centre.”
The exercise forms part of ongoing work to develop a Local Resilience Plan for Shrewsbury town centre, complementing wider county-level emergency planning and ensuring that local partners are well-prepared to respond swiftly and effectively should an incident occur.