Policing Terrorism in the UK

Abstract

The depth and breadth of the terrorist threat in the UK has now been the subject of regular comment by the Government. Such comments broadly revolve around the number of investigations ongoing, the number of individuals 'of interest' and estimates of the wider problem that is thought to exist. The United Kingdom's police forces bear a primary, front-line responsibility to counter this threat; a responsibility that has brought an array of roles and challenges and one which is still a work in progress. Under the United Kingdom's counter-terrorism strategy police forces contribute to twenty one key workstreams and forty two key actions. This provides an important degree of strategic instruction, but leaves the profoundly more difficult tasks of definition and implementation open. At the core of many of the changes required is the problematic shift to the pre-emption or interception of terrorism. A shift necessitated by the suicidal component of the terrorist tactics in evidence. This has two main implications for policing. One is the need to act upon third-party and/or inconclusive evidence where the potential consequences of not doing so are unacceptable. Second is the need to extend the policing reach into communities to inhibit extremism at source. Police are required to develop capabilities and capacities not only to counter the existing threat but also to improve conditions in which it may develop further, to 'help communities protect themselves and counter the efforts of extremist radicalizers'. A further essential requirement at the local level is to ensure that the effect on the broader community is minimized through operations conducted with sensitivity and discretion. A wider aim, under the prevent pillar of the strategy, is to deter those that may facilitate terrorism. Contributing to ensuring that sympathies lie with the potential victims of an attack rather than those who attack. Language: en