Police officers, medical staff, firefighters and other organisations took part in a four-day course on responding to national emergencies.

The agencies which comprise the island’s Emergency Measures Organisation took part in the course, organised by the UK’s College of Policing, at the Police Recreation Club.

Highlighting the class’s importance, the Minister of National Security Michael Weeks said: “Whether it’s a mass casualty incident, the grounding of a cruise ship or an air crash, our agencies must be ready to handle the potential crisis.

“We must also bear in mind that our isolation means it would take at least a day for outside help to arrive in the event of a major incident.

“I am hoping that we will finish this course with a clearer idea of what a gold level joint agency command team looks and feels like when responding to a multi-agency incident declared as a major incident.”

According to the Government’s website, a major incident could include terrorism, hurricanes, tsunamis or other bad weather, a pandemic or an oil spill.