Balance of the threat picture has altered, says Brokenshire

James Brokenshire delivered a speech at the RUSI on the changing terror threat and how the government and partners have continued to adapt strategies to meet the emerging challenges.

As part of the speech, the Security Minister said that the government, police and security agencies will always ‘take the strongest possible action’ to protect our national security and ‘be clear about the threat that we face from terrorism’.

However, he conceded that the threat landscape has become ‘more diverse and challenging’, with terrorists advancing ‘less sophisticated but still lethal attacks off their own initiative’. This has meant, he said, that ‘strangers are radicalised rather than subordinates’ and that the balance of the threat picture has altered.

Brokenshire also touched upon the newly announced Counter-Terrorism Operations Centre, which he believes will enable the UK to respond more quickly and effectively to help tackle terrorism and play a key role in tackling other threats including hostile state activity and organised crime. He also said that the government will  be introducing legislation early next year that will extend the tools available to Counter Terrorism Policing as part of the government’s response to Jonathan Hall QC’s independent review of multi-agency public protection arrangements. This will include new powers of premises and personal search and a new urgent arrest power.

Concerning a legal ‘Protect Duty’, Brokenshire said that the government supports the Martyn’s Law campaign that seeks to improve protective security arrangements at publicly accessible locations, and although coronavirus has slowed progress, he said that ‘our determination to deliver remains undiminished and we will follow through in bringing the Protect Duty into effect’.