Gaps in UK border security could let terrorists smuggle in weapons
UK borders are not as secure as they should be, according to a major review of counter-terrorism arrangements by Toby Harris for the London's mayor, adding there are "real concerns" about how easy it is for terrorists to bring guns into Britain. Despite the quality and effectiveness of work being carried out by intelligence agencies and the police, a serious attack is "a matter of not if, but when", says the report. Smuggling of weapons into the UK has surged over the past year: “In July and August the Metropolitan police recorded 202 firearms discharges, compared to 87 in the same months last year," warns the report, which also calls for a clampdown on drones amid fears they may be used to stage an airborne attack.

Weaknesses in Britain’s border security may allow terrorists to get the guns they need to attack London, a report has warned.



The report, for London mayor Sadiq Khan, warns of rising firearms use in the capital over the summer, with the potential for weapons smuggled in by organised criminals being acquired by terrorists.

The study by Lord Toby Harris says that a major terrorist attack could inflict a severe casualty toll on London, and makes 127 recommendations to limit the chances of violent jihadis striking, and to deal with the aftermath of a catastrophic attack.

The report came as police revealed the scale of the terrorist threat facing Britain, from Islamist, Irish and other violent extremists.

Deputy assistant commissioner Neil Basu said police were dealing with “550 live cases at any one time” and had successfully foiled at least 10 attacks in the last two years. The Guardian understands that three of those have been in recent months, involving arrests in London, Birmingham and Cardiff.

Basu, the senior national co-ordinator for counter-terrorism, said that vulnerability to radicalisation had been reduced in nearly 1,000 cases in 2015 by the police and others through the Prevent scheme.

Basu’s comments emphasised the concerns about the scale of the threat, while the review by Harris tried to boost London’s defences, with officials believing the capital is the target most coveted by terrorists.

In his report, released on Friday, Lord Harris, a Labour peer and former chair of the body that oversaw the Metropolitan police, says more can be done to make it harder for terrorists.

Firearms laws are tight in Britain, but there has been mounting concern among counter-terrorism officials about increased smuggling of weapons. Harris says: “In July and August the Metropolitan police recorded 202 firearms discharges, compared with 87 in the same months last year.

“In 2015, the National Crime Agency intercepted a boat travelling from France containing firearms obtained by a UK-based organised crime group. Our borders are not as secure as they should be and much greater efforts should be made to prevent the illegal transportation of weapons and people into the country.

“It would be naive in the extreme to assume that would-be terrorists will not attempt to exploit any such weaknesses.”

Police and MI5 have already seen a plot that saw terrorists get a gun from crime contacts as they planned to attack targets in London. That plot was disrupted, but the fear of a multiple gun and bomb attack was stoked after the November 2015 Islamic State strike against Paris which left 130 people dead.

The Home Office said: “Our Border Force officers use advanced technology to stop the smuggling of weapons into the UK and act on intelligence from a range of domestic and international sources to stop people abusing the border.

“This government is also investing £130m over the next four years in new technology to help take on the ever-changing threat to our borders.”

Harris says that even with a speedy response and the neutralising of suspects within minutes, a Paris-style attack could leave “dozens of people dead and seriously injured on the streets of London”.



The recommendations go beyond the powers of the mayor and include calls for tighter borders to plug vulnerabilities, including sea ports. The tone of the report and its recommendations appears different from views expressed by the Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour party.

The review recommends that doctors report patients showing signs of radicalisation, as called for by some police chiefs: “The Home Office should work with the Department of Health to ensure that the Prevent duty applies to GPs.”

The review wants greater measures in schools to protect against terrorism and says: “All schools in London [should] appoint a governor responsible for ensuring security and terrorism preparedness.

“They should require all schools to have full preparedness plans in place, with requirements that they are tested. If the Department for Education do not consider this valuable nationally, the mayor should ensure it is implemented in London’s schools.”

Harris also calls for measures to protect the mentally ill from terrorist propaganda. “There is a specific need to bolster community mental health services in London to support vulnerable people who might be at risk of radicalisation,” Harris urges.

The Harris review says London’s mayor should be given a seat at the table of the government’s crisis committee, Cobra, and CCTV should be boosted, with police commanders having greater access to live pictures from the cameras in the event of a crisis.

It calls for clampdowns on drones, amid fears they could be used to stage an airborne attack, and more barriers to stop a truck attack such as that in Nice, France, this year.

The London mayor will consider the review’s findings.



Conservatives in the capital said the review lacked focus. Gareth Bacon, who sits on the London Assembly, said: “Of the 127 recommendations, nearly 50% are not even within the mayor’s powers.

“The danger of a review that is so slapdash is that it clouds what London’s terrorism preparedness priorities truly are.”



