§ The Minister for Crime Reduction, Policing and Community Safety (Ms Hazel Blears)As part of the continuing work to improve the capability to deal with major incidents, the Home Office, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Department of Health are sponsoring a trial of a multi-agency initial assessment team (MAIAT) in the London area.
Comprising officers from the London Fire Brigade, the Metropolitan Police, City of London Police and the London Ambulance Service, MAIAT will provide an initial assessment of potential chemical, biological, radiological or other major incidents.
The aim of the trial is to see whether a dedicated team could add to the emergency response by providing an early, effective and integrated assessment of the nature and risk of a CBRN incident. The trial will focus on central London.
The trial will be for one year during which the overall value of the team and the specific tasks it undertakes will be monitored, and lessons would be learned as the team develops. A full evaluation will be done towards the end of 2005, and lessons learned will be shared with emergency services elsewhere in the country.
This initiative has been developed with the emergency services in London and builds on their strong working relationship. It aims to add to, not replace, the capability we already have for responding to major incidents.