The UK
uses many of the counter- terrorism measures described in the table
1.
Education
2.
Awareness/vigilance campaigns
3.
Promoting freedom of speech
4.
Building relationships with communities who
might feel oppressed
5.
Extensive training and exercising of
simulations
6.
Control of immigration/asylum
7.
Ensuring the safety of public building of
‘target hardening’ them, that means making them less vulnerable to attack.
Counter-terrorism
measures used in the UK.
Measures
description
Education
Good education is one of the key
aspects of preventing terrorism. A good level of education means you have the
ability to question any misinformation you are given by people who might want
you to commit terrorist attacks
Threat
assessments
A threat assessment is the realistic
evaluation of whether a terrorist attack is imminent and where it is likely
to be. It also concentrates on likely targets and assesses likely suspects.
It is dependent on information collected by the public services and
particularly the intelligence services
Awareness/vigilance
campaigns
Campaigns that encourage the public
to be vigilant are essential in combating terrorist activity. The includes
being aware of the dangers of unattended luggage in airports or train
stations, and reporting strange or suspicious behaviour. Such as campaigns
include posters, TV/ radio advertisements and leaflets
Promoting
freedom of speech
In many parts of the world,
individuals and groups have to resort to violent behaviour because they are
not allowed to speak about their circumstances or the oppression and
discrimination they face at the hands of others. A culture where free speech
is valued can alleviate some of this frustration and make people more likely
to seek peaceful solutions to conflict.
Building
relationships with communities who might feel oppressed
Communities who feel isolated,
misunderstood and victimised are more likely to have a culture of anger
against the government and may respond with violence to their treatment. It
is therefore essential that the government and public services build strong
and effective relationships with all sections of our society.
Extensive
training and exercising of simulations
The services are requiring training
extensively for a variety of possible disaster scenarios, of which a
terrorist attack is just one. This includes training for chemical or
biological attack and practising a combined service response.
Control
of immigration/asylum
This measure assumes that terrorists
come from outside our nation to target us. As the London bombings showed,
terrorist are as likely to be British citizens as foreign nationals. However,
controlling entry into the UK of individuals who may pose a threat is a
sensible precaution.
Security
of public building
This involves making a specified
building such as government office or airport a much harder target for
terrorist to reach and destroy. It can include measures such as banning
certain substances, such as liquids at airports, installing barricades,
increased security personnel, CCTV and identity checks for visitors.
