So how prepared do you think the UK is for a terrorist attack? (2 Viewers)

[Sky_Blue_Daz]

When you think that in 2011 the police struggled to contain a bunch of thugs rioting
And I am in no way making light of the situation it's an honest and serious question

 

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[ajsccfc]

Most of counter-terrorism is stuff we'll never see, it's the intelligence that prevents it from happening rather than dealing with it when it does.

 

[eastwoodsdustman]

Most of counter-terrorism is stuff we'll never see, it's the intelligence that prevents it from happening rather than dealing with it when it does.

Exactly this. Highly likely that our intelligence services know about 99% of anything planned and it's dealt with beforehand. We learned our lessons from 7/7 thankfully. It does appear, however, that the French do not seem to be able to yet.

 

[CCFC Germany]

How do you stop someone for taking hi car and running over people ?
You might stop complicated plots, but not those like in Nice...

 

[Nick]

How do you stop someone for taking hi car and running over people ?
You might stop complicated plots, but not those like in Nice...

You can never fully stop it, but a lot of the time after it happens they say "They were known". If they were just a random Bob who decides to do it of course you can't do much.

If they were known to the authorities then there are more steps that can be taken aren't there.

 

[Covstu]

The police/authorities will likely get criticism because he is 'known' but I am sure there are thousands who tick this box and you cannot watch everyone, all day. The Nice issue could not have been avoided in my view, picked a time where more people would be there in a public holiday.
The more 'coordinated' attacks are more preventable because it isn't in isolation, I would hazard a guess that many plots or schemes are foiled by our intelligence agencies every week, we just don't hear about them.

 

[Otis]

When you think that in 2011 the police struggled to contain a bunch of thugs rioting
And I am in no way making light of the situation it's an honest and serious question

As has been said, any individual or duo armed with machine guns or a vehicle loaded with explosives can do a tremendous amount of damage.

Think we will see more and more of this.

Can't see how you can stop it. Only surveillance and intelligence gathering to try and arrest these people in any planning stage and that's it.

Anyone could walk into West Orchards here in our own city or at somewhere like Euston or Victoria station and cause all sorts of carnage with an automatic weapon.

Guess we are all going to have to be a lot more vigilant.

I have said to my wife that I fear within 10 years every school and large store and mall and hospital in this country will have armed guards on duty as a matter of course.

 

[Nick]

Thing is with the Nice stuff.

The guy was known to the police because of armed attacks, it was suspicious because Lorries arent meant to be on the roads, the police spoke to him because he was parked up for ages, he had guns and explosives in the lorry.

I'd like to think if somebody known to UK police for armed crime was sat in a van for 8 hours where vans shouldnt be by a shopping centre where thousands of people were expected he wouldn't be left there for long.

 

[ajsccfc]

The latest they're saying is that he was known to police, but only for petty crimes at most.

 

[Nick]

The latest they're saying is that he was known to police, but only for petty crimes at most.

Ah, I was going off this - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...river-who-killed-84-on-french-riviera-was-cr/

 

[ajsccfc]

That might still be the correct version, I think they're just scrambling for information at the moment to be honest.

 

[Astute]

As has been said, any individual or duo armed with machine guns or a vehicle loaded with explosives can do a tremendous amount of damage.

We are safer than the rest of Europe. Look how many countries you can drive through without stopping. Whatever is used in the UK must be brought into the UK through border control or made here.

How many countries can things come from on mainland Europe?

 

[Captain Dart]

Aye, be prepared or we're doomed I tell ye.. doomed

 

[Monners]

We are safer than the rest of Europe. Look how many countries you can drive through without stopping. Whatever is used in the UK must be brought into the UK through border control or made here.

How many countries can things come from on mainland Europe?

Yep - we have never had open borders

 

[oldskyblue58]

There is no way to catch every terrorist or prevent every attempt. The best the security agencies & forces can do is to minimise the risk. Wasn't it said in Parliament that the security forces had foiled 7 or 8 possible/credible attacks in the last year or so

If a terrorist wanted to get in to Britain it doesn't follow that it would be by legal means or that our borders are secure. Our biggest advantage is that we are an island but illegal immigrants still get in.

Attacks like the one in Nice are practically impossible to predict or prevent - and all the equipment needed is readily available

 

[Otis]

We are safer than the rest of Europe. Look how many countries you can drive through without stopping. Whatever is used in the UK must be brought into the UK through border control or made here.

How many countries can things come from on mainland Europe?

Don't want to be a scaremonger, but you can now make guns with a 3D printer.

 

[fernandopartridge]

Border controls have generally been irrelevant when it comes to threats against the UK. 7/7 was people who lived here already. Previous to the it was the IRA who had freedom of movement anyway.

 

[Astute]

Border controls have generally been irrelevant when it comes to threats against the UK. 7/7 was people who lived here already. Previous to the it was the IRA who had freedom of movement anyway.

The difference is the materials they would use. Unless like Otis says they are busy making plastic bullets for their plastic guns

Yes you can get what you want in the UK. But bigger and better is more freely available in the rest of Europe.

 

[skybluetony176]

We have a couple of decades experience on most European countries when it comes to fighting terrorism and because we're an island nation we don't have borders that you can just walk across so we're always going to be safer for the main part. However this latest attack could be an indication that ISIS and other extremists have lost the ability to arrange something large scale as this seems to be a lone wolf attack inspired by the likes of ISIS etc. rather than an organised from the top attack. This type of attack is always going to be more difficult to track with intelligence. So in some ways we're more vulnerable.

 

[Captain Dart]

We have a couple of decades experience on most European countries when it comes to fighting terrorism and because we're an island nation we don't have borders that you can just walk across so we're always going to be safer for the main part. However this latest attack could be an indication that ISIS and other extremists have lost the ability to arrange something large scale as this seems to be a lone wolf attack inspired by the likes of ISIS etc. rather than an organised from the top attack. This type of attack is always going to be more difficult to track with intelligence. So in some ways we're more vulnerable.

This outlaw proto-caliphate needs to be crushed to extinguish hope of these terrorists. Though I believe the new policy of letting regional troops grind them down is the right one, a life gets tougher inside IS controlled territory, they stop paying soldiers and bureaucrats, they run out of food, then there will be mass defections as the established regimes take control. So maybe in a few years the region will be a great deal more stable (still crazy but not nearly so bad as today).

 

[Monners]

Border controls have generally been irrelevant when it comes to threats against the UK. 7/7 was people who lived here already. Previous to the it was the IRA who had freedom of movement anyway.

I concur - however the 7/7 bombers were British.

 

[lifeskyblue]

We are perhaps safer than many European countries but certainly not safe...home grown fanatics are on our streets. Our anti terrorism personnel are I think extremely efficient but they only need to miss one crucial sign or not think a lone-wolf will really act. They are in a no win position but fortunately they do the job.


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[Monners]

This outlaw proto-caliphate needs to be crushed to extinguish hope of these terrorists. Though I believe the new policy of letting regional troops grind them down is the right one, a life gets tougher inside IS controlled territory, they stop paying soldiers and bureaucrats, they run out of food, then there will be mass defections as the established regimes take control. So maybe in a few years the region will be a great deal more stable (still crazy but not nearly so bad as today).

An interesting point, but the West has to stop serving it's self interest and as a result creating power vacuums, thus allowing extremists to fill the the void

 

[Gazolba]

How do you stop someone for taking hi car and running over people ?
You might stop complicated plots, but not those like in Nice...

They won't necessarily do the same thing again. That's why you have to keep one step ahead of them.
In Nice, barriers should have been placed on the Promenade Anglais to block vehicular traffic.
Imagine how much worse it would have been if that lorry had been packed with high-explosives.
Rental of vehicles, especially large vehicles, needs to be much more closely controlled.
During the IRA scares in Coventry, they dropped bombs in rubbish bins in the city centre. The authorities had to either remove them or put lockable lids on them.

 

[Macca]

Safer by accident than design here I think. We have a better physical border, better integration than other countries like Belgium and France and less of a North African problem.
In the event of it happening I shudder to think. Unarmed police , waiting however long for a proper armed response. Under resourced hospitals.
God knows how they feel in France, with a Government unable to protect them and whose policies on meddling abroad and immigration only increase the problem. You wonder how bad it gets before the people demand the right to defend themselves

 

[Otis]

Safer by accident than design here I think. We have a better physical border, better integration than other countries like Belgium and France and less of a North African problem.
In the event of it happening I shudder to think. Unarmed police , waiting however long for a proper armed response. Under resourced hospitals.
God knows how they feel in France, with a Government unable to protect them and whose policies on meddling abroad and immigration only increase the problem. You wonder how bad it gets before the people demand the right to defend themselves

Just a matter of time, Macca.

I can see a rise in vigilante groups if this continues.

 

[Macca]

I know if I lived in a major French city I would be looking to get hold of something that gave my family even half a chance

 

[ccfc92]

Extremely prepared.

Every day, the ATP are arresting people at dawn raids and taking them into custody. There is a "media black out" on everything related to anti terror operations, with only some stories being released. We are much more prepared than we let on.

Obviously, like some have said, there is nothing to prevent a nut case grabbing a weapon then going on a rampage. No one can prepare for that.

With the known suspects that carry out attacks, even though they may be monitored, they may be elusive or cover their tracks well. Also, if they were arrested, then no evidence was found etc, then they may be open for human rights violations, being sued etc?