MI5 to share information on West Midlands terror suspects in new strategy
MI5 will share classified information on people in the West Midlands thought to have terrorist sympathies, under new Government plans.
In a trial scheme brought in as part of wide-ranging anti-terror measures, 'key' biographical data will be given to neighbourhood police and councils across the region.
Home Secretary Sajid Javid said last year's wave of terror attacks showed the need for wider and more local exchange of information.
This would also help to highlight people who may assist terrorists or who could be in danger of being radicalised.
He said there must be no 'safe spaces' for terror suspects anywhere, noting there had been a 'step change' in the threat to the UK, with 25 Islamist-linked plots foiled in the last five years and four extreme right plots stopped since March 2017.
Mr Javid said to counter these developments there needed to be increased – and faster – sharing of information between security services and the police as well as local authorities and other public agencies, such as the Probation Service, the Charity Commission and the Communities department.
The security services currently hold information on around 20,000 people labelled 'closed subjects of concern' who have previously been investigated and it is believed could pose a threat in the future.
Examples of co-operation, he said, could lead to 'faster alerts for suspicious purchases, improving security at crowded places across the UK, and reducing the vulnerability of our critical infrastructure'.
Ministers want firms to raise the alarm as quickly as possible if they have evidence of unusual transactions - such as someone stockpiling large amounts of chemicals or acting suspiciously when hiring a vehicle.
The move reflects concern over a sharp reduction in the timeframe between the conception and execution of terror plots.
A report on the UK's counter terrorism strategy says: "By alerting a greater number of agencies to individuals of potential concern, we will improve our ability to assess the risk they pose whilst also being able to bring to bear a broader, larger set of local interventions, including to safeguard those at risk of radicalisation or to ensure those who have supported or been involved in terrorist-related activities disengage."
The trial scheme, which will also run in London and Manchester, has been backed by West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson.
He said: "West Midlands Police work closely with councils and other agencies to tackle terrorism and protect the public. I welcome ever closer working and sharing of information.
"The Home Secretary is right to identify neighbourhood policing as crucial in fighting terrorism. With his recent change of tone on policing he needs to ensure that areas like the West Midlands are supported with the resources that they need."
Other proposals include increasing maximum sentences for some offences and enhancing the use of data to track terrorism suspects.
