After Action Review: London Bombings 2005 - Essay Example

? After Action Review: London Bombings 2005 Management January 19, CONTENTS CONTENTS 2 INTRODUCTION 3 CONSEQUENCES OF THE LONDON ATTACKS 4 COMPARISON WITH 1995 OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBINGS AND 1996 OLYMPICS BOMBINGS 6 PERSONAL ANALYSIS 7 CONCLUSION 8 REFERENCES 9 INTRODUCTION Large scale disasters continue to increase with the increasing number of population resulting in mass fatalities. Disasters can be natural like Hurricane Katrina(2005), human made/ technological like terrorist attacks or a result of armed conflict between nations like that of Iraq and UK. 7 July 2005 marks the date that horrified London and rest of the world with a set of four bomb attacks resulting in several casualties and hundreds of injured. A day before the incident, London was honored as the host to 2012 Summer Olympics for the third time. The morning rush hour witnessed three explosions in underground stations and one in a bus, thus damaging the transit system. Two weeks later, further bombings attempted to cripple the transport system but there was no human loss reported. London attacks were distinctive in nature because of the home grown terrorists involvement rather than international terrorist groups. The relevant officials took active control of the situation and proper tragedy management measures led to minimum losses. UK was brought back to normal operations within hours of the attack to boost the morale and confidence of the public in the government. The attacks had grave political, social, psychological and economic consequences. This event had implications for all concerned authorities of emergency, police and businesses. This paper will examine the consequences and responses to the London bombings and investigate the relationship among the London attacks 2005, Oklahoma City bombing 1995 and 1996 Summer Olympics attacks. The historical lesson learnt from these incidents is the crucial significance of resource planning, leadership and coordination among all the concerned representatives to respond effectively and swiftly. The initiatives taken up were exemplary. However, Proactive approach can prevent simultaneous attacks and potential threats from terrorist groups. CONSEQUENCES OF THE LONDON ATTACKS The attacks posed damage to the transit system which in turn paralyzed the economic stability of the UK. Businesses faced a sudden jerk in confidence, mainly in the vital sectors of tourism and retail. This sense of uncertainty contributed to the rise in oil prices and sharp decrease in spending (London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 2005). However, disruption in the transport system and several fatalities did not affect largely on the tangible side of the businesses. The value of British currency pound depreciated and the stock exchange experienced a bearish market which recovered after a while. The UK officials went successfully through the challenge by retaining the confidence of the people. The terrorists were unable to shatter or demoralize the representatives in any regard. Political representatives made amendments in their anti-terror measures to avoid such incidents to happen in future. Immediately after the attacks, there was a disrupting rise in faith related hate crimes in UK. Some individuals misused religion as an excuse for the attacks, making the minority British Muslims vulnerable to the situation. The leaders took a stance by condemning the attacks and defending rights of Muslims which eventually induced positive responses among the community in general (EUMC, 2005). The Muslim leaders in London also stressed about the clear distinction between the bombers and Muslim beliefs and faith. Many interviews were conducted to reveal the psychological impact of the traumatic incident. Most of the survivors were diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The people who witnessed the attack and survived the bombings will be traumatized for the rest of their life (Lieberman, 2006, page no. 106). The memories of the incident will result in stress and frightening thoughts. Depression and low esteem can lead to self-destructive behavior. RESPONSES TO LONDON BOMBINGS 2005 All the related emergency agencies and high officials actively participated to turn the position back to normal and incur least possible damage. Several security alerts were activated across the country and transportation security was tightened in foreign cities. Media actively participated in the news coverage through all possible channels. All broadcasts pointing in the direction of terrorism were replaced with other programs. A website was established by common London residents to express the confidence to handle the act of terrorism and a peace vigil was conducted as well. All possible memorial activities were conducted in the honor of the victims. British and foreign authorities delivered speeches and condolence on the event on various forums shortly after the incident. The related agencies faced challenges during and after the attack because they did not have the capability to manage simultaneous attacks in a row. This hindrance highlighted the lack of communication, leader commitment, cultural and legal uniformity and coordination among the agencies (Stewart, 2006, page no.54). Radio communication and contact with the victims’ families remained the major challenges. Restriction in network access posed limited time issues for the affected families. However, the transportation police service partially solved the problem. Need for agency planning is evident from the coordination related problems. The London police restricted cell phone network access to reduce the traffic which had an unintended reduction in access for many related agencies, like London Ambulance. The public safety agencies had specified the roles and responsibilities along with the level of command and control to be exercised in case of a major incident in a manual in advance which helped minimize the confusions during emergency coordination. Proper tragedy management and risk reduction procedures were followed to control the situation. COMPARISON WITH 1995 OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBINGS AND 1996 OLYMPICS BOMBINGS The London bombings of 2005 targeted general public with an attempt to cripple the UK transit system. It was a planned suicide attack intended for mass murder. Although an international terrorist organization assumed the responsibility of the attacks and their taped conversations highlight the motivation behind the attack based on Tony Blair’s stand against Iraq but this incident was distinct in essence. Due to the involvement of British citizens, also known as “home grown” terrorists, this event posed potential threat of future attacks. On April 19, 1995, Alfred P. Murrah Federal building in Oklahoma City became the victim of terrorist bomb attacks claiming the lives of over 150 people including children. Unlike the London terror, the bombing was directed at the US Federal government. The truck bomb was placed outside the building claiming damage to the building along with the local people. The accused was motivated by hatred against the Federal government for mismanagement of the Waco Siege (1993) and Ruby Ridge incident (1992). The terrifying act was intended to take revenge from Federal authorities. Immediate search and rescue actions were taken collectively by general public and emergency agencies. They jointly entered the building, located and saved the survivors and victims’ (Hoffman, 1998, page no. 138). The President declared emergency which provided the government sole responsibility to respond to the attack. The swift response of people and agencies of government illustrated the importance of collaborative efforts and critical planning to curb such an incident effectively. July 27, 1996 Centennial Olympic park became the target for terrorist bombings during the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, Georgia. Lack of communication and planning among the police officials led to this disaster. They were warned about the bombing and were unable to evacuate the park. All the attacks were timed in order to create maximum possible damage. Also, the terrorists involved were a group of accomplices, rather than an individual. PERSONAL ANALYSIS The London bombings 2005, Oklahoma City building attack 1995 and 1996 Olympics park bombings are the three historical man made technological disasters after the September 11 terrifying event. The number of casualties and injuries varied across the incidents but left a mark on the lives of many. These incidents had severe political, economic and psychological implications for all the witnesses to the occasions, ranging from ambulance guards to businesses to common residents. Under such circumstances, the bomb handling initiatives and responses undertaken by the concerned individuals ranging from emergency agencies to general public were exemplary. All three of the attacks were tragic and traumatizing, which require a promising collective effort to bring the lives of the affected back to normal as soon as possible. Keeping the situations in mind, I would not have done anything distinct but certain proactive measures would be appreciated to prevent such incidents in future. High profile political representatives should take the responsibility to prevent generalizations to happen disregarding minority rights. Muslim leaders in the UK should be taken on board to generate a positive atmosphere and to avoid racism. Proper planning, control and monitoring mechanism should be up and running to manage simultaneous attacks. Communication barriers should be eliminated among the agencies and law enforcement agencies and emergency services should be readily available. Media has the pivotal responsibility to calm down aggressive actors to further traumatize the situation. Proper investigation into the matter and inquiry should be practiced to punish the guilty. CONCLUSION The lesson learned from the attacks is that a well-integrated, collective and coordinated action by the authentic individuals can result in an effective outcome for the community and the people (EUMC, 2005). The security of human resource as well as the capital of the state lies with the authorities so their commitment towards leadership and tragedy management is of profound importance. Their position demands a certain level of accountability so maintaining the chain of command and collective decision making would help generate a positive atmosphere. The affected individuals should be encouraged to take psychological training sessions to reduce their stress and self-destructive behavior. Life of each and every individual is valuable so protecting and nurturing that valuable asset remains the prime responsibility of the state. REFERENCES EUMC: European monitoring center on racism and xenophobia. (2005). The impact of 7 July 2005 London bomb attacks on Muslim communities in EU. Retrieved from http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/attachments/London-Bomb-attacks-EN.pdf Hoffman, D. (1998). The Oklahoma City Bombing and the Politics of Terror. Feral House Lieberman, C. (2006). Coping With Terrorism. Chanadon Publications Ltd London Chamber of Commerce and Industry: Press and Public Affairs. (2005). The Economic Effects of Terrorism on London – Experiences of Firms in London’s Business Community. Retrieved from http://www.londonchamber.co.uk/docimages/754.pdf Moffat. I. (2010, February 22). Oklahoma City Bombing. Retrieved from http://www.dohomeworkfaq.com/criminal-justice-paper-about-the-oklahoma-city-bombing/ Stewart, G. B. (2006). London Transit System Bombings. Lucent Read More