London Police Chief Says Spy Agencies Face Terror Fight

The head of London’s police force has acknowledged that security agencies around the world can do only so much to prevent the type of terrorist attacks that have occurred recently in France and Germany.

“It’s a real challenge to get enough intelligence because we cannot follow everybody all the time, we have to make rational choices,” said Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, Commissioner of London’s Metropolitan Police.

This is a catch-all ASF view; only displays when an unsupported article type is put in an ASF drop zone

In a briefing with a group of foreign reporters, Sir Bernard commiserated with French and German police who have been grappling with a string of attacks in Nice, Normandy, Munich and Ansbach.

“I think we’re all shocked by what we’ve seen,” he said. “If it was us today, I suspect we would have a very difficult challenge. I can only talk about our system, at the moment we are okay. But tomorrow, who’s to say? I think it’s a very difficult problem.”

London hasn’t had a major terrorist attack since 2013, when soldier Lee Rigby was attacked and killed while walking on a street near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich. Sir Bernard credited better co-ordination with security services, improved intelligence gathering and the city’s massive network of closed-circuit television cameras. In the past year, he said, police had disrupted eight terrorism plots, including a couple that involved assaults on police and military officials.

Nonetheless, London is on a “severe” terrorism alert, the second-highest level. “The reason we’re [at that level] is because we’re worried there may be attacks that get through. I think that’s the same across Europe,” he said.

Identifying and tracking people who could turn into terrorists remains a challenge. At least 800 people from Britain went to Syria in recent years, with many joining the Islamic State and others in the fight against the Syrian government. Roughly 400 have returned to Britain and the police now have to assess their potential threat. They are ranked on a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 being the most dangerous.

Many of those who returned from Syria were legitimate aid workers or IS fighters who became frightened of the conflict, he said. “You could, therefore, regard them as a lower-risk group. But we can’t absolutely guarantee that,” he added. “They remain a continuing concern.”

He had praise for controversial programs such as Prevent, which obliges teachers and others in Britain to report people engaging in radical behaviour. Critics have said Prevent stigmatizes those who have been reported and unfairly targets Muslims. Sir Bernard said that while it isn’t perfect, the program can offer help to vulnerable people and families.

Putting guns in the hands of police officers isn’t a solution, he added, because that only increases barriers between cops and communities. The Metropolitan force remains one of the few in the world where the vast majority of officers do not carry guns. Of the city’s more than 32,000 officers, only 2,100 are armed. However, that number is slated to increase by 600 because of the attacks in Paris last November that killed 130 people.

“Just arming all police is not always the answer,” he said. “And our way is to have well-trained specialist officers, well equipped, well led, who we’d be deploying in large numbers to deal with that type of attack.”

One of the most effective tools to combat terrorism, and most other crimes, is the city’s vast network of CCTV cameras. After rioting in 2011, which spread across several parts of London, police gathered 250,000 hours of camera footage to seek out the culprits. About 800 officers spent a year combing through the material, leading to 5,000 arrests. Of those charged with a crime, 90 per cent “pleaded guilty because [the video footage] was such powerful evidence,” he said.

Britons have become so accustomed to the proliferation of cameras in the subway, on buses, across public places and in some taxis that the country has not had a major debate about privacy issues.

Sir Bernard said that is because the cameras were introduced at the local level. “It wasn’t the government saying you’re all going to have CCTV cameras. This was local authorities saying we want it in a public space, in shopping centres, and buses wanted it,” he said, adding that for police work, the cameras are “incredibly powerful.”

Globe&Mail: http://bit.ly/2b5gDJl

 

« The Hidden Costs Of A Data Breach
Over 50% Data Breaches Are Due To Human Error »

Infosecurity Europe
CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

MIRACL

MIRACL

MIRACL provides the world’s only single step Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) which can replace passwords on 100% of mobiles, desktops or even Smart TVs.

Alvacomm

Alvacomm

Alvacomm offers holistic VIP cybersecurity services, providing comprehensive protection against cyber threats. Our solutions include risk assessment, threat detection, incident response.

CYRIN

CYRIN

CYRIN® Cyber Range. Real Tools, Real Attacks, Real Scenarios. See why leading educational institutions and companies in the U.S. have begun to adopt the CYRIN® system.

BackupVault

BackupVault

BackupVault is a leading provider of automatic cloud backup and critical data protection against ransomware, insider attacks and hackers for businesses and organisations worldwide.

XYPRO Technology

XYPRO Technology

XYPRO is the market leader in HPE Non-Stop Security, Risk Management and Compliance.

Phoenix TS

Phoenix TS

Phoenix TS offers world-class management, computer, and IT security certification training courses.

Marsh

Marsh

Marsh is a global leader in insurance broking and risk management and has been a leader in combatting cyber threats since their emergence.

Trust Guard

Trust Guard

Trust Guard services provide complete security for your website.

Authenware

Authenware

AuthenWare delivers the highest level of identity security based on behavioral biometrics.

Wooxo

Wooxo

Wooxo provides business security and continuity solutions to protect business data for organisation of all sizes.

Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric develops connected technologies and solutions to manage energy and process in ways that are safe, reliable and sustainable.

Epati Information Technologies

Epati Information Technologies

ePati Information Technologies is a specialist in information technology and cyber security.

Ioetec

Ioetec

Ioetec's mission is to connect users to their IoT devices securely, ensuring these devices remain safe to use in our increasingly connected world.

Cybersecurity Innovation Hub

Cybersecurity Innovation Hub

Cybersecurity Innovation Hub is a non-profit network organization focused on cooperation, information sharing, research and implementation of cutting-edge technologies in cybersecurity.

Cloudrise

Cloudrise

Cloudrise are elevating cloud security, data protection, and privacy through assessment, technology enablement, and process automation.

Gorodissky IP Security

Gorodissky IP Security

Gorodissky IP Security is a comprehensive approach to protecting your intellectual property on the Internet and beyond.

Lightspin

Lightspin

Lightspin is a contextual cloud security platform that continuously visualizes, detects, prioritized, and prevents any threat to your cloud stack.

Cyber Security for Europe (CyberSec4Europe)

Cyber Security for Europe (CyberSec4Europe)

CyberSec4Europe is designing, testing and demonstrating potential governance structures for a European Cybersecurity Competence Network.

SecureData

SecureData

SecureData provide professional data recovery services, digital forensics, data recovery software and FIPS 140-2 Level 3 Validated hardware encrypted drives.

WheelHouse IT

WheelHouse IT

WheelHouse IT secures, manages, and advances businesses with innovative, cost-effective IT solutions.

Mutare

Mutare

For three decades, Mutare has been empowering organizations to re-imagine a better way to connect through our transformative voice security, digital voice and text messaging solutions.