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Van hire laws needed to counter terror, says Met Commissioner

The hire of vans may have to be regulated to prevent them being used in a terrorist attack, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner has suggested. New laws may be required to stop people hiring vans at short notice in order to scour out potential attackers, such as the man who mowed down Muslim worshippers in Finsbury Park and the London Bridge and Westminster Bridge attackers, said Cressida Dick. She told the London Assembly that the police are working with van hire firms to monitor who is trying to obtain vehicles for sinister purposes. Dick said: “How can you, it’s very hard, but how can you deal with van hire? We’ve sent a message to the hire community, please be careful, think who it is, if there’s anything suspicious let us know. Should that be regulated in any way? There’s a whole big review to be done. It might require some legislation. I don’t know. It might require some tweaking of legislation.” The recent terror attacks demonstrate a trend of suspects using everyday and commonly available material in their attacks, making them harder for counter terrorism forces to detect and prevent.

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