POLICY UPDATED TO COUNTER EVOLVING TERROR THREATS
BRITAIN on Monday (4) unveiled a new counter-terrorism strategy under which it will boost intelligence cooperation between the domestic MI5 service and police as well as the private sector.
The plan, called Contest, seeks to ensure “that there are no safe spaces for terrorists, no safe spaces internationally, in the UK or online,” home secretary Sajid Javid said in a keynote speech.
“The threats are evolving. We must evolve too,” he told an audience of counter-terrorism experts.
The Home Office warned last Sunday (3) that the threat posed by Islamist militants to Britain is expected to remain high for the next two years and could even rise.
The government said it had foiled 25 Islamist militant plots since June 2013 – 12 of those since March 2017 – and was currently handling more than 500 live operations.
“The threat from terrorism is one of the starkest we face and it is clear there has been a step change,” Javid said at the launch of the revised strategy.
He revealed that the time between being radicalised and planning an attack was shorter than in the past, radicalisation was happening more frequently online, and everyday items were being used to carry out plots.
The new strategy “incorporates the lessons learnt from the attacks in 2017 and our responses to them”, he said.
Under the new plan, security services will be alerted to suspicious purchases more swiftly. Officials want the alarm raised as quickly as possible if there evidence of unusual transactions, such as someone stockpiling large amounts of chemicals or acting suspiciously when hiring a vehicle.
Javid said Muslims were not responsible “for the acts of a tiny minority who twist their faith” and there was a unique role for them to play in the fight against extremists. “British Muslims up and down the country are leading the fight against Islamist extremists, by throwing them out of their mosques and by countering poison online and on the streets,” he said.
A review found existing counter-terrorism policy was well-organised and comprehensive, but suggested ways it could be improved to cope with militant groups’ changing tactics.
The government will trial more information sharing by intelligence agencies and the police with bodies such as local authorities “to improve our understanding of those at risk of involvement in terrorism and enable a wider range of interventions”.
The strategy will also target better information sharing, including with businesses, to speed up flagging of suspicious purchases, improve security at crowded places, and reduce the vulnerability of infrastructure.
It will also look to tap expertise in the private sector and among academics to harness data analytics and machine learning to improve detection. (Agencies)
