- New counter-terrorism review by Lord Toby Harris finds significant improvements in communication and coordination between the capital’s emergency services and partner agencies following Sadiq’s intervention to ensure London is best prepared to respond to an attack.
- Lord Harris warns of the rising threat of extreme right-wing terrorism, normalisation of online extremism and emergence of other threats which lack clear ideological roots.
- Mayor calls for long-term funding from Government to better prepare emergency services against the constantly evolving threat of terrorism.
London is significantly better prepared for a terrorist attack than it was five years ago, a new independent counter-terrorism review has found.
The new review by Lord Toby Harris has found that substantial progress has been made by London’s emergency services and key agencies since 2016 as a result of action initiated by the Mayor.
In July, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, commissioned Lord Harris to undertake a new wide-ranging review of London’s preparedness for a terrorist attack, against a backdrop of the changing nature of the threat of terrorism facing the capital. This included a rise in online extremism, an increase in referrals to Prevent for concerns regarding extreme right-wing radicalisation, more individuals self-radicalising and learning techniques online and the increasing possibility of hostile state-sponsored acts against the capital.
Sadiq also asked Lord Harris to consider any implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for London’s immediate and long-term preparedness for a major terrorist incident. This included identifying areas of vulnerability based on the ways in which the pandemic has changed how people live and work, and the impact of lockdowns on wider security awareness and expertise.
Lord Harris’s second review follows his earlier assessment commissioned by the Mayor in 2016, which resulted in more than 100 recommendations* to better prepare the capital for a terrorist attack - the vast majority of which have since been implemented.[1]
Over the last six months, Lord Harris has worked with London’s emergency services, the transport sector, local government, and officials from several central government departments to review processes, understand new threats and challenges and identify areas where further progress could be made. He also spoke with representatives from across the faith, voluntary and community and business sectors to discuss the role of London’s diverse communities in both preparedness and during the aftermath of a terror attack.
Lord Harris found notable improvements in communication and coordination by the emergency services and partner agencies, with substantial learning having taken place following the tragic terror attacks perpetrated in the capital and elsewhere over this period. His report also notes the exceptional levels of cooperation that now exist across the Met Police, British Transport Police and City of London Police forces, which are so crucial to protecting Londoners in the event of an attack.
In the report Lord Harris has made 294 new recommendations that focus on several key areas including ensuring emergency services are properly funded and fully equipped, providing and refreshing specialist training for relevant teams to deal with specific types of attacks, and improving information sharing across those with a role to play in keeping London safe - many of these represent simple adjustments to existing processes.
These recommendations come as Lord Harris warns of the rising threat of extreme right-wing terrorism and emergence of other threats which lack clear ideological roots – with the number of referrals to the Prevent programme for both of these categories outnumbering those prompted by Islamist related concerns for the first time.[2] Lord Harris also warns that the UK must be prepared to consider the possibility of terrorist deployment of Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear (CBRN) weapons, and ensure emergency services are equipped and trained to respond appropriately
The review is also critical of Government cuts to policing numbers over the last decade and cuts in other key services, which in Lord Harris’s view “potentially hampers London’s capacity to react to terrorist incidents” and are “short-sighted”.
With the current terror threat level at ‘substantial’, the findings from this review suggest there is no room for complacency. London bears the highest risk of terrorism in the UK and the pandemic and recent overseas conflicts, including the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban and the war in Ukraine - pose new and continuing challenges to London’s security and preparedness.
Lord Toby Harris said: “I was pleased to see the huge amount of work that has been done in the last five years, not only by the police and the emergency services, but also by local councils and many other agencies, to improve our readiness to deal with terrorism. But we must not be complacent, the terrorist threat remains a real and present danger and we can never make London entirely safe.
“Working together we can all help through common endeavour to ensure that we are better prepared for whatever may happen.”
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: "Nothing is more important to me than keeping Londoners safe and I am determined to keep reviewing potential threats to our city in order to adapt and strengthen our ability to prepare for and respond to the evolving threat of terrorism.
“I asked Lord Harris to carry out this second review in order to reinforce London’s preparedness even further. While I am proud of the progress made, I want to ensure that no stone is left unturned in equipping our city for whatever challenges it may face in the future.
“That is why I am calling on the Government to support City Hall in taking action now to mitigate the new risks identified in Lord Harris’s review. Ministers must provide increased funding not just for our police but for all those services that play an essential role in preventing and responding to the threat of terrorism in London and nationwide.”
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist from the Metropolitan Police said: “The Metropolitan Police welcomes Lord Harris's report and we are particularly pleased that Lord Harris recognises there has been significant progress made since 2016 and that the emergency services and other agencies in London continually seek to learn and to improve our response to any terrorist attacks.
“These improvements are in no small part due to the incredible dedication and determination of officers and staff here in the Met - as well as our many colleagues from other agencies - to do the very best we can to keep Londoners safe.
“However, we also know and recognise that there is no room for complacency. There are a number of recommendations contained within the report and we will work closely with our key partners over the coming weeks and months to look at these and consider how we can best implement them.
London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner for Operational Resilience and Control Pat Goulbourne said: “We welcome Lord Toby Harris’ report and echo the recognition that London Fire Brigade plays a critical role in the preparedness and response to terrorist attacks. Improvements to London’s ability to deal with terrorist attacks is in no small part down to the unwavering dedication and commitment to change of our staff and the joined up response of the blue light partners.
“As outlined in the report we are investing resources so that our firefighters are fully prepared to respond to marauding terrorist attacks, in partnership with colleagues in the emergency services. This will further improve our response to terror incidents when they occur and increase the safety of members of the public, which is at the heart of what we do.
“Working with the FBU we will ensure that the highest standard of training is provided and the appropriate level of personal protective equipment is made available to our front-line staff.
“The Brigade has learnt significant lessons from the 2017 terrorist attacks at London Brigade, Westminster, Finsbury Park and Parsons Green and will continue to adapt and transform to the threat the capital faces. We will study the report in detail and the recommendations made to us.”
Notes to editors
*In May 2016, Sadiq Khan, asked Lord Harris to undertake an independent review into the city’s preparedness to respond to a major terrorist incident. This followed the series of murderous terrorist attacks, involving firearms and bombs, across Western Europe in the previous year – notably those in Paris on Friday 13th November which killed 130 innocent people including 90 at the Bataclan Theatre. The review, however, looked at a range of possible attack scenarios, including vehicles used as a weapon (as in the attack in Nice in July 2016 which killed 86 people). It was published at the end of October 2016[1]. Its key conclusion was that, compared to when I had last been heavily engaged in counter-terrorism matters five years earlier and following substantial investment in armed policing capabilities, the response of London’s emergencies services would be markedly quicker and better than would have been possible before. Lord Harris made more than a hundred detailed recommendations to further improve London’s preparedness, the vast majority of which were subsequently implemented.
** In July 2021, the Mayor has asked Lord Harris to repeat the exercise with a wider remit, not only to look at the learning from the terrorist incidents that took place in London and elsewhere in 2017 and subsequently, but also to consider the changing threat of terrorism facing the capital and any implications of the Covid-19 pandemic for London’s immediate and long-term preparedness. In the last six months, Lord Harris has conducted over one hundred interviews with senior figures from the emergency services, the transport sector, City Hall, and local government, as well as with civil servants from several central government departments, the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Parliamentary Director of Security, and a number of other experts including Jonathan Hall QC. In addition, he has held valuable roundtables with some thirty representatives from the business, faith, voluntary and community sectors. And also met with the senior leadership of the New York Police Department who shared their insights and experiences of preparing for and responding to terrorism.
[1] Lord Harris confirmed nearly all of the 127 recommendations from his 2016 review into London’s preparedness to respond to a major terrorist incident have already been implemented. Link to 2016 Harris report is here https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/londons_preparedness_to_respond_to_a_major_terrorist_incident_-_independent_review_oct_2016.pdf
[2] Outnumbering those prompted by Islamist related concerns for the first time [page 17, Lord Harris review, 11/3/2022]
+ Please find a link to the full Lord Harris review here: https://www.london.gov.uk/mopac-publications-0/london-prepared-city-wide-endeavour