Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Self-defence classes see surge in applications in wake of London terror attack

‘With bombings or shootings, people tend to think that there’s nothing much they could do. But with the style of attack that we saw at London Bridge, there is a sense, rightly, that there is’

Lucy Pasha-Robinson
Sunday 11 June 2017 15:19 BST
Comments
One school said it had seen inquiries increase by 10 times following last Saturday’s assault on London Bridge and Borough Market
One school said it had seen inquiries increase by 10 times following last Saturday’s assault on London Bridge and Borough Market (Rex)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Self-defence classes have reportedly seen a surge in applications after Britain was hit with three terrorist attacks in three months.

Many people have expressed interest in the classes to learn how to protect themselves in the event of another attack, according to The Times.

One school said it had seen inquiries increase by 10 times following last Saturday’s assault on London Bridge and Borough Market that killed eight people and left dozens more injured.

Another instructor said its waiting lists were “backing up” as it struggled to find staff to teach the classes.

Combat Academy UK’s chief instructor Reece Coker told The Times: “With bombings or shootings, people tend to think that there’s nothing much they could do.

“But with the style of attack that we saw at London Bridge, killers roaming the streets with knives, there is a sense, rightly, that there is.”

The company said application inquiries had jumped by 70 per cent since March, when terrorist Khalid Masood launched a deadly vehicle and knife rampage on Westminster.

Government advice in the event of a terror attack is to “run, hide, tell” and does not encourage members of the public to fight back.

However former SAS soldier John Geddes told the Daily Mirror members of the public should team up and try to overpower the attacker together.

It comes as bouncers and restaurant staff were credited with saving lives after many attempted to thwart the three terrorist attackers during their attack in London last Saturday by throwing glasses and barrels at the assailants.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in