WGPlus (Archive)
| The reality is that only one of the many ‘attacks’ needs to succeed |
|
A week after the atrocity in Manchester, RUSI draw some preliminary conclusions: there clearly was a breakdown in the intelligence flow that led to suicide bomber Salman Abedi slipping through the net; there are enduring questions about the UK’s Prevent anti-terrorism strategy; and, finally, there are the weaknesses of ‘soft targets’ that such an attack invariably expose. ….. However, the principle of proportionality also has to be borne in mind: having lots of security forces chasing those individuals not only requires more resources than are currently available, but may also end up exacerbating the very problem that they are trying to manage. …… The work of managing dangerous offenders or suspects clearly needs to stay attached to the security realm, possibly through the creation of a new specifically developed & tailored service, modelled on the probation service. Editorial Comment: The latest event in London is notable because, although it was the type of attack most difficult to prevent (no technical bomb-building skills required, etc.), and not in a ‘24/7 protected area’ (Houses of Parliament, etc.), the emergency forces responded & ‘nullified’ the 3 attackers within 8 minutes! It is difficult to see how even having ‘a policeman on every corner’ could have either prevented such an attack, or provided an ‘armed & trained’ response much quicker. Perhaps one future partial ‘solution’ would be to only allow 20mph speed restricted electric vehicles in city centres (apart from Blue-light ones), thus restricting the potential impact of ‘pedestrian-ramming’? Additional ‘targeted’ resources might be required as additional measures are identified & introduced, but we should also bear in mind the sad reality that (in 2015) over 5 people a day were either killed or seriously injured on London’s roads every day! |
| Researched Links: |
|
RUSI: What Policy Changes Are Needed after the Manchester Attack? NHS publishes information to support people affected by the terror attack in Manchester Security services 'prevented 13 UK terror attacks since 2013' - BBC ... National Counter Terrorism Security Office - Public ACT following call from Counter Terror police Social media companies "shamefully far" from tackling illegal and dangerous content Baroness Shields' speech at the National Security Agency Countering online radicalisation & extremism: Baroness Shields' speech Inspirational Muslims and the fight against terrorism National Memorial for the British victims of overseas terrorism to be unveiled by Summer 2017 Fight against terror: Planning terrorist acts must be criminalised, LIBE MEPs say "The UK supports an ambitious review of the UN global counter terrorism strategy." NATO - Topic: Countering terrorism - NATO - Homepage Countering terrorism - City of London Police How to hunt a lone wolf: Countering terrorists who act on their own ... Human Rights, Terrorism & Counter-terrorism - OHCHR Countering terrorism: an international blueprint | MI5 Road casualties in London continue to fall, but concerns remain |
