Counter-terrorism

FEATURE: The announcement last week by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern that she will be stepping down within the next two weeks caught many of the public – and members of her own party – by surprise; but as Policing Insight’s Andy Staniforth explains, while Ms Ardern may no longer be holding high office, she will leave a lasting legacy globally in the fight against terrorism and online extremism.

ANALYSIS: New research by Dr Jens Binder of Nottingham Trent University and Dr Chris Baker-Beall of Bournemouth University has found that terrorism radicalisation now takes place predominantly online, and that those recruited without face-to-face interaction are less likely to carry out violent attacks – but there is still a thin line between online only activity and mixed radicalisation processes, so internet extremism must still be taken seriously.

INTERVIEW: The Straits of Gibraltar are a potential illicit gateway between Europe and Africa, but it’s not just drugs and people smugglers keeping the Royal Gibraltar Police Marine Unit busy; in this second in a two-part series on the Unit’s work, Policing Insight’s Martin Buhagiar spoke to Chief Inspector Sean Perera about the unique challenges of policing the Iberian Peninsula and this incredibly busy stretch of water, where tackling traffickers, counter-terrorism and environmental emergencies are all part of the job.

INTERVIEW: As the European Commission DroneWISE innovation project comes to a close, Project Co-ordinator Dr Holger Nitsch spoke to Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth about the counter-drone training tools that are now available for emergency service responders to better plan and prepare a multi-agency response to a terrorist drone attack.

FEATURE: New Home Secretary Suella Braverman has called for an ‘urgent overhaul’ of the UK’s Prevent counter-terrorism strategy, in the wake of a critical independent assessment of the programme earlier this year; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the background to the strategy, and examines the politically charged nature of much of the controversy surrounding it.

INTERVIEW: As terrorists continue to find new and creative ways in which to use the internet to progress and promote their violent and extremist causes, cyber expert Professor Stuart Macdonald, Director of the Cyber Threats Research Centre (CYTREC) at Swansea University, spoke to Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth about ways in which how police officers can engage, support, and participate in research to investigate terrorism and the use of social media.

ANALYSIS: Seventeen years ago this month the UK faced its first ‘critical’ threat level following a series of terrorist attacks in London that prompted significant changes to the country’s counter-terrorism operations; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks back at the events of July 2005, and considers whether the appointment of former counter-terror chief Sir Mark Rowley as Metropolitan Police Commissioner could improve collaboration and co-operation between the security services and police.

ANALYSIS: Dr Muhammad Dan Suleiman, Research Fellow at the UWA Africa Research & Engagement Centre at the University of Western Australia, identifies the key enablers of political extremism in West Africa.

FEATURE: Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth explores some of the opportunities and challenges presented by the rapid development of new technology in the police and law enforcement intelligence field, and how a pan-EU project could help agencies and providers maximise the potential benefits of emerging trends and capabilities.

ANALYSIS: As we approach the fifth anniversary of the Manchester Arena bombing, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the lessons that need to be learned in relation to protecting public spaces from terror attack, and the important balance between community security and the rights of individual citizens.

ANALYSIS: Politically motivated crime has been recognised as an issue needing specific attention for more than a century, but with multiple agencies now active in the sector, co-ordinating that response can be difficult; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the challenges presented by politically motivated crimes, and the importance of differentiating between extremism and terrorism.

FEATURE: The terrorist attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils four years ago this month left 14 people dead and more than 130 injured; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the National Counter-Terrorism Strategy launched by the Spanish Government since those attacks, as well as the continuing threat and risk posed to Spain by both violent jihadist terrorism and returning foreign terrorist fighters.

FEATURE: Online gaming platforms and forums have offered violent extremists new routes to recruit and radicalise young people, but law enforcement practitioners largely admit to lacking the skills and knowledge to tackle the problem; Policing Insight’s Andy Staniforth reports on a new funding initiative encouraging police, public authorities, the private sector and academia to work together to improve knowledge on the use of online gaming culture and structure by extremists.

FEATURE: The latest Home Office figures for the police use of terrorism-related powers show that arrests are at their lowest level since 2011, due largely to the overall reduction in crime during the pandemic; but counter-terror police have repeated concerns over the “perfect storm” for online radicalisation of children and vulnerable people that has seen terror-related arrests of under-18s rise, as Policing Insight’s Sean Howe reports.

ANALYSIS: Sixteen years ago today, four suicide bombers carrying rucksacks packed with explosives attacked central London, killing 52 people and injuring hundreds more; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at what happened in the lead up to the worst single terrorist atrocity on British soil, and how those events have continued to have an impact on counter-terrorism and UK policing through to the current day.

OPINION: The recent inquest into the Fishmonger’s Hall terror attack highlighted missed opportunities into the investigation of terrorist Usman Khan, and prompted criticism of the police and security services for their failure to share information more effectively; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth believes that, in the light of this inquest and other previous incidents, it’s now time to consider if the present UK counter-terrorism architecture is fit for purpose.

INNOVATION: The fast pace of development in drone technology represents an ever-evolving range of threats – particularly in the hands of terrorists; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the new counter-UAV training for first responders being delivered as part of DroneWISE, and how the project is helping to improve co-ordination and co-operation between countries and agencies.

FEATURES: As the Novichok poisoning in Salisbury three years ago and other chemical agent attacks have highlighted, the CBRN threat can have a real, traumatic and long-lasting impact; Policing Insight’s Andy Staniforth reports on a new joint European initiative to protect shopping malls – potentially a soft target for terrorists and state-sponsored actors – from CBRN attack.

FEATURE: In his recently published second review of UK anti-terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall QC, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, has called for new police powers to tackle digital encryption; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth explains why such powers are desperately needed to keep up with advances in technology.

FEATURE: As religious worshippers around the world celebrate Easter – one of the main events in the Christian calendar – Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports on latest efforts by law enforcement agencies across Europe to protect places of worship from terrorist attack and hate crimes.

Feature: As the Inquiry into the 2017 Manchester Arena terror attack continues, there is work behind the scenes to update the Joint Doctrine, the interoperability framework for UK emergency service responders; Carl Daniels of JESIP spoke to Policing Insight’s Catherine Levin about the consultation and how it has never been more important to work together.

OPINION: The announcement in November of a multi-million pound counter-terror centre for the UK which brings together police and the security services was rightly welcomed; but as Policing Insight's Andrew Staniforth reports, moving forwards the relationship between community policing and counter-terrorism will be crucial to negating the wide array of terrorist and extremist threats.

OPINION: The recent announcement by the UK Government that a new, world-leading counter-terror operations centre will be opened in London has been widely welcomed, and as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports, the collaboration between policing and M15 will be crucial to the success of the ongoing fight against terrorism.

FEATURE: With online extremists migrating to increasingly niche platforms, law enforcement is having to work harder to monitor and tackle hate crime and extremist activity; but as online intelligence experts Franck Znaty and Dr Lewys Brace told delegates at this year's NPCC Internet, Intelligence and Investigation conference, targeting such activity may be challenging but can still be successful.