Britain is the weak link in Europe’s counter-extremism network

Europeans see the UK as an outstanding centre of counter-terrorism — but one that is wholly incapable of counter-extremism. Britain has a world-class security and counter-terrorism apparatus. MI5, MI6, the police, military and GCHQ together have unrivalled capabilities when it comes to disrupting domestic and international terror plots (at least 25 in the last three years alone). The country is seen as a cornerstone of shared European security, working harmoniously with allies to combat the evolving terror threat, share new tactics, intelligence and technologies. Yet until the United Kingdom is able to take decisive action against extremist ideology, Britain’s streets will once again see bloodshed.

Counter-terrorism alone cannot stop every threat. In the UK, up to 3,000 volatile terrorist suspects are actively monitored at any one time. There are 40,000 extremist sympathisers on MI5’s watch list. To follow an individual on a 24/7 basis requires 10 to 12 officers, so to monitor 3,000 of the most dangerous individuals requires huge amounts of resources.