Police, not local authorities are needed to tackle terrorism
04 Jun 2018
Diane Abbott MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, commenting on the new counter-terrorism strategy, said:“Tories have under-funded counter-terrorism policing and cut police officer numbers by 21,000. Police leaders and the rank and file have publicly complained that cuts are undermining their ability to fight terrorism. The Tories’ focus on local authorities is a red herring when they have savagely and irresponsibly cut our police force’s budget.
“A review by David Anderson QC showed that the Government needs to improve its efforts to tackle terrorism. But shockingly Sajid Javid has largely ignored the review’s recommendations. Just as bad, it looks like he’s not providing any new resources. Moreover, there’s no point him trying to blame the EU for the Government’s inability to resolve problems it has created on the European Arrest Warrant.
“A properly funded police force, working with communities, counter-terror experts and MI5 that can make the difference. However, as we have seen with the Prevent strategy, these new plans could also lead to inappropriate targeting of communities, and lead to further alienation we need to reduce.”
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