A senior police chief has warned that the main dangers of terrorism came from extremists “in our midst”. Speaking during the Police Superintendents' Association conference, Metropolitan Police's counter-terror chief said that isolated communities and illegal Islamic schools serve as a “breeding ground” for terrorist activities. He informed that security services are investigating 600 extremist plots.
Basu said, “Segregated, isolated communities, unregulated education and home schooling are a breeding ground for extremist and future terrorists.” He said counter-terror officers open more investigations than they close each week and that there are weaknesses in the country's borders. “It is not going to change. This was truly a summer like no other, it was truly a shift and not a spike, it is truly a new norm that we face. The threat was returning fighters and now it is the threat in our midst. We stopped a lot of our jihadis travelling and some are not committed to the cause.”
Basu added, “Borders and ports are porous. There is a lack of biometrics and advanced passenger information. Our borders are not badly controlled but nevertheless they are still vulnerable.”
