By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS
London : Declaring that Britain could be hit by terrorists “anywhere from any place”, Prime Minister Gordon Brown was Wednesday set to unveil a range of measures aimed at securing railway stations, airports, shopping malls and sports stadiums from terror attacks.
The steps are the first prompted by this year’s failed terror bombing of Glasgow airport.
“Terrorism can hit us anywhere from any place,” Brown wrote in the The Sun newspaper Wednesday.
“But just as the terrorists use every method and the very freedoms we enjoy to kill or maim people, so we must also adopt new tools to beat the terrorists, secure our borders and create a safe global society.”
His comments came ahead of the release of two major security reviews Wednesday.
The first, led by Home Office Minister Lord West, is an inquiry into security at crowded locations across Britain, including sporting venues, shopping centres and transport networks.
The review is believed to be too sensitive to be published in full, and today’s publication will include only general conclusions and limited points. Importantly, it is expected to balance the need for public access with that of security measures.
“I started very much on the premise that what we mustn’t do is the terrorists’ job for them,” West said Wednesday.
“Yes, there is a great risk, we’ve got to be vigilant — but we need to make sure we conduct our normal way of life in terms of business, work, pleasure, all these things.”
Architects are also expected to be told to integrate counter-terrorism measures in major new buildings, but in a way that makes physical measures such as barriers as unobtrusive as possible. West said he and his team had looked at how to protect existing buildings, by redesigning road layouts, putting in barriers and using specific types of glass.
Brown said West’s report contains “key recommendations for the protection of our national security” but physical protection had to go alongside improved community relations.
“It is a battle we will have to fight street by street, community by community and year by year. But standing together, resolute and calm, we can win it,” he declared.
The second study, led by Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O’Donnell, examined whether police and other staff could be included in a new border force that is proposed to strengthen security at ports and airports.
The uniformed force, first announced in July, is expected to bring together the Home Office’s Border & Immigration Agency, Customs and the UK Visas overseas operation.
But West stressed that none of the measures would be effective without “exorcising this cancer of terrorism”, by “stopping the radicalisation of our youth”.