given May was in the chair when security cuts were made and when the bomber was reported as an extremist (if I’ve got the dates right) someone is bound to ask her certain questions (and UKIP already have) – but would a different Home Secretary over those years have made a difference? To be fair we will never know, but I’m not entirely convinced.
The facts seem to speak for themselves. We’ve had successful terrorist attacks in the periods when resources were higher and lower – and more attempted attacks have been foiled since the cuts were made than before (albeit this is because the frequency of attempted attacks has risen).
The funding for “security services” has actually risen 30% in the last 2 years. The reduction in police headcount / conflation between 1,000 fewer armed officers and the “successful” attack this week seems to ignore:
– a significant number of officers have chosen to give up armed duties because the protracted investigations / trial by public they face in the event they have to discharge their weapons. This process can last for years and places a wholly unacceptable burden on the officers and their families. We as the public are part of the reason so many police don’t want to carry guns i.e. we don’t give them enough support when they have to use them (which is very infrequently compared to pretty much every other country)
– calling the army / SAS out is actually a sensible use of specialist resources. If we haven’t needed 1,000 armed police for the last few years it makes no sense to maintain them when the army are arguably better trained and there already.
– the “community knowledge” and link to intelligence gathering seems to be massively over stated. In the recent attack the local police had been informed about the attacker’s mindset / behaviour but don’t appear to have been able to do much by way of follow up. Most of the 18 or so major attacks foiled have reportedly been as a result of intercepts and feedback via Prevent – Lord Carlile (former Lib Democrat peer and independent reviewer of terrorism legislation) has concurred with the current Home Secretary on this.
As an aside, Lord Carlile was interviewed on R4 this morning and pretty much said that he resigned from the Lib Dems because of their behaviour on Control Orders – he suggested the combination of Lib Dem policy and constant actions by human rights groups had forced the government into using T-PIMs which have been completely useless, not least because they allow suspects to continue using mobile phones and the internet.
