kweli
14-01-2008, 05:55 PM
Man these reports piss me off!
The severe terror threat in the UK is unlikely to be reduced in the foreseeable future, Sky News has been told by ministers.
A suspect van is pulled overCounter terrorism minister Tony McNulty said all intelligence pointed to a severe and sustained threat, with numerous ongoing plots.
He confirmed the Government was providing extra funding for an increase in anti-terrorist operations.
Sky News was given unprecedented access to one such operation on the streets of London.
It was mounted by armed officers from the Met's Territorial Support Group.
After an intelligence briefing, officers patrolled central London, on the lookout for suspicious vehicles.
Over a six-hour period, the armed teams pulled over two vans, a four-by-four and two cars.
The occupants were all checked and their vehicles searched with the assistance of police dogs, specially trained to sniff out explosives. All were given the all-clear.
For the motorists concerned, there is little doubt these armed stops are alarming, sometimes upsetting, but police say they are a vital tool in helping combat the terrorist threat.
The stops were made under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act, a controversial power as police do not have to suspect anyone of having committed a crime in order to stop them.
Many within the Muslim community believe Section 44 unfairly targets them.
All of the motorists officers pulled over in this latest operation said they understood the need for such checks.
Sky joins an undercover operationHowever, one man of Arab descent said he believed he was stopped because he looked Middle-Eastern.
But he added: "I know there are those within my community who commit acts of terrorism and I support the job the police are doing."
Met police commander Bob Broadhurst, in charge of the Territorial Support Group, said: "These stops are inconvenient. It can be upsetting.
"It can be embarrassing, we understand that.
"If we put these patrols in and we're stopping traffic, that's a hell of an inconvenience. None of us like being stopped... but what's the alternative?
"The alternative is, we do nothing and we become greater at risk."
With the Government confirming there is no prospect of the terror threat level being reduced anytime soon, Section 44 stops are here to stay, however unpopular they may be within some communities.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,91211-1300459,00.html
And once again, people accept it.
The severe terror threat in the UK is unlikely to be reduced in the foreseeable future, Sky News has been told by ministers.
A suspect van is pulled overCounter terrorism minister Tony McNulty said all intelligence pointed to a severe and sustained threat, with numerous ongoing plots.
He confirmed the Government was providing extra funding for an increase in anti-terrorist operations.
Sky News was given unprecedented access to one such operation on the streets of London.
It was mounted by armed officers from the Met's Territorial Support Group.
After an intelligence briefing, officers patrolled central London, on the lookout for suspicious vehicles.
Over a six-hour period, the armed teams pulled over two vans, a four-by-four and two cars.
The occupants were all checked and their vehicles searched with the assistance of police dogs, specially trained to sniff out explosives. All were given the all-clear.
For the motorists concerned, there is little doubt these armed stops are alarming, sometimes upsetting, but police say they are a vital tool in helping combat the terrorist threat.
The stops were made under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act, a controversial power as police do not have to suspect anyone of having committed a crime in order to stop them.
Many within the Muslim community believe Section 44 unfairly targets them.
All of the motorists officers pulled over in this latest operation said they understood the need for such checks.
Sky joins an undercover operationHowever, one man of Arab descent said he believed he was stopped because he looked Middle-Eastern.
But he added: "I know there are those within my community who commit acts of terrorism and I support the job the police are doing."
Met police commander Bob Broadhurst, in charge of the Territorial Support Group, said: "These stops are inconvenient. It can be upsetting.
"It can be embarrassing, we understand that.
"If we put these patrols in and we're stopping traffic, that's a hell of an inconvenience. None of us like being stopped... but what's the alternative?
"The alternative is, we do nothing and we become greater at risk."
With the Government confirming there is no prospect of the terror threat level being reduced anytime soon, Section 44 stops are here to stay, however unpopular they may be within some communities.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,91211-1300459,00.html
And once again, people accept it.