According to one of the UK’s most senior counter-terrorism officers, the country is currently facing a “smouldering” terror threat level with a worrying number of children as young as 10 years old accessing extreme online material. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, who is the Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, has warned that there has been a rapid increase in terror suspects being radicalised by “extreme violence” and that there is currently a “conveyor belt of young people” being affected by horrific online content, with some potentially going on to commit appalling acts.
The UK has currently stopped 43 late-stage terror plots since 2017, including three in the past 12 months, which proved to be “goal line saves”. However, the official terrorism threat level in the country is still categorised as substantial, meaning an attempted attack is likely.
Evans, speaking at Scotland Yard after taking on the national role this year, has urged technology companies to take more responsibility and help the counter-terror police in preventing this material being so readily accessible. She has revealed that the search histories being reviewed contain “horrific material”, such as violent, misogynistic, and racist content, as well as material relating to extreme pornography, schools massacres, and “incel” culture. She added that often this pick and mix of horror is coupled with terrorist material organisations such as the Islamic State “capitalise on chaos”.
Counter Terrorism Policing, which is a national network across the UK police services set up to prevent and investigate terrorism, has Islamism extremism as their largest caseload, but they are also concerned about extremist right-wing plots. Evans has highlighted that “grotesque fascinations with violence and harmful views” need urgent attention in these unstable times. She added that large amounts of extreme content are being accessed “readily and easily online”, showing the need for a whole-system approach to tackling these issues in an increasingly digital age
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
