onsdag, juli 13, 2005

Phew! I feel safer now...don't you?

The big news around here is the threat, heard after last Thursday's horrible events in London, that Denmark could be next. But, according to Søndagsavisen (literally translated as 'the Sunday newspaper', a free paper delivered to homes, presumably Denmark-wide, on Saturday, along with loads of supermarket adverts) 'We are prepared for terror'. Actually, the full headline is 'Police, amusement parks and shopping centers: we are prepared for terror.'

I am glad to know that Denmark is prepared for terror. And I understand why people in any number of places in the world might be nervous for their safety at the moment. But how much security preparedeness do we really need to know intimately about? Should someone in Copenhagen feel safer knowing (as I now know, after reading the Søndagsavisen article) that BonBon-Land can be emptied in a half an hour in case of emergency? Do you out there in the blogosphere feel safer knowing that Rosengårdscentret in Odense and Bruuns Galleri in Århus (both shopping centers) have emergency plans? The director of the Aalborg Zoo (which apparently has a very detailed and thorough emergency procedure) said it best: 'We haven't increased our preparedness after the 11th of September, because we don't think it is necessary for us. Cynically speaking, in my opinion it is totally unrealistic that a terror organization like Al Qaeda would have the desire to plant a bomb in the Aalborg Zoo. For terrorists, it's of course a decisive factor that they get full attention for their terrorist actions, and it would take hours for CNN to get in place in Aalborg.'

This could also explain why the one place in the article that seemed sensible to question about security was Tivoli. But even here, is Tivoli a more logical target because it's a relatively famous amusement park, or because it is in the center of a capital city, and just steps away from downtown, city hall, and the main train station? Of course, my views may well be colored by that fact that I live in Copenhagen. Someone from Odense for example, might find it more logical to think about security at Rosengårdscentret than at Tivoli.

But what do you think? Is anywhere a target for terror, or are there some places (places with large numbers of tourists, places of symbolic importance, governmental places, mass transportation, etc.) which are intrinsically more attractive to those looking to make a violent statement?

1 kommentar:

Anonym sagde ...

having slept through a bomb attack by a separatist group (FLNKS)in New Caledonia, on a pacific island when I was young I am not really scared off by these things. I have been told to leave Oxford street in 30 seconds due to IRA threats 8 years ago...I have been living in a country that has been designated a target for 3 years by the O too religious loonies...Danish women and their violent mood swings are more a threat to a peaceful life I think :) David