Key information
Publication type: General
Publication date:
Contents
. New review to consider the changing threat of terrorism facing London and any implications of the pandemic for London’s preparedness for an attack
. More than 100 recommendations from original Harris Review have been made to improve London’s safety and its response to a terrorist attack
. Fresh review will examine further opportunities for learning and improvement from 2017 terrorist attacks and more recent attacks in Streatham and Fishmongers’ Hall
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has appointed Lord Toby Harris to complete a new and wide-ranging independent report into what could be done to improve London’s preparedness for a major terrorist incident.
The new review, now underway, will consider the changing threat of terrorism facing London and any implications of the pandemic for London’s immediate and long-term preparedness for an attack.
The previous Preparedness Review, also undertaken by Lord Harris and commissioned by the Mayor in 2016, made more than 100 recommendations, the vast majority of which have now been implemented. These have led to significant improvements to the safety of our city, its citizens and visitors – including the speed and coordination from our emergency services, intelligence services and partner agencies to a terrorist attack.
Since then, however, London has experienced a succession of attacks, particularly in 2017, when terrorists, often acting alone and radicalised online, used vehicles and knives to carry out attacks. A bomb attack in the Manchester Arena in 2017 also killed innocent children and in Salisbury a chemical attack brought death, injury, and a new kind of threat to the UK.
Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the Mayor is determined to continue do everything he can to improve the safety and security of Londoners. He recognises that extremists are set on exploiting the uncertainty and hardship caused by the pandemic for their own gain and this new review will consider learning from the attacks in the last five years and identify any gaps in our city’s response and capabilities to ensure London is as prepared as it can be to deal with the threat posed by terrorists.
As part of his work, Lord Harris welcomes your views. The terms of reference for the review set out the areas he will be focusing on – you can send any thoughts on these to us via email up until the 5th September.
Terms of Reference
The review will have two parts:
1) A review of the London relevant recommendations from specified reports and the extent to which they have been acted on and implemented, and what gaps remain. Those specified reports are:
a. Lord Harris Review;
b. HMICFRS CT Prevent inspection;
c. Jonathan Hall independent reviewer – MAPPA Review;
d. Recent attacks in Streatham and Fishmonger’s Hall; and,
e. Inquest reports into the 2017 attacks
This list is not exhaustive and it will be appropriate for the Reviewer to consider the learning that emanates from the Manchester arena attack.
2) A strategic, London-wide look at how the city is prepared to cope with a serious terrorist attack in London. It will look at the working relationships and cooperation between all of the agencies involved, ability to cope with the different scenarios and highlight gaps between agencies or shortages of expertise and resources and propose actions to address this.
Remit
In order to do this the Review will consider the capacity of organisations and groups, statutory and non-statutory, operating in London, to effectively respond to a diverse range of terrorist attack. This will include looking at their planning and exercise regimes.