The report details how the system should be used to alert the public in situations such as chemical spills, bomb explosions or extreme weather where there was an immediate and direct risk to life.
But it warned: “Responders agreed that the system would lose its impact if it was used too regularly. It was agreed, for example, that communications for incidents such as lower-level disorder would be dealt with using other channels.”
It added: “It should not be used too frequently and only for the most serious of emergencies, or recipients may become complacent.”
When the severe alert system was officially created in 2024, government guidance stated that the public might get alerts about “life-threatening” weather-related emergencies including wildfires.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, who was a minister when the system was set up, said the alert on Friday was an “abuse of the system for the purpose of political posturing”.
He told The Telegraph: “This is the equivalent of a good crying wolf – people won’t take it as seriously in the future, and others may seek to disable the feature. Either way, using the alert system in this way has undermined its usefulness in a real imminent future emergency.”