Shropshire Star

Shropshire Star comment: We must be ready for terrorist attacks

There should be a large, prominent anti-terrorism notice put up in Shropshire's police stations, fire stations, ambulance stations, military buildings, and so on. It should read: Today Is The Day.

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The purpose would be psychological, to banish the thought that it can't happen here, and that it won't happen here today.

Because if the threat is to be met effectively, the county has to be constantly on high alert. There are no days off in this battle.

Terrorism has caused mayhem and destruction in this county in the past, and Shropshire was found wanting. IRA terrorists succeeded in planting their bombs, and got away undetected. It was only by chance that nobody died.

A new breed of fanatical terrorists has the aim of killing as many innocent people as possible. Everything, and everyone, is a potential target. Across Europe, they have struck in big cities, but also in places which had no particular reason to think they would be on the receiving end. This is the class into which Shropshire falls.

Security preparations are, for obvious reasons, mostly behind the scenes, but the public is entitled to take it as read that the police, Army, intelligence services, and other relevant agencies have already liaised about the possibility of a terrorist attack in Shropshire, and have made contingency plans. If they have not, and something happens, they will have let down the public through their lethal failure.

How much better, though, if attacks can be prevented. Here there is a two-pronged defence. One is detecting plots and thwarting them and the other is extracting the poisonous ideology which inspires people to become terrorists.

Next week Shropshire councillors will be discussing how best to implement the government's Prevent strategy, which aims to address extremism and radicalisation.

A report going before councillors says terrorism is a low threat in this county, but warns against complacency, and says the highest risk is from a difficult-to-detect lone wolf.

This sort of thing can have an effect on the young and impressionable. There again some terrorists are university-educated, and have embraced the gun and bomb as a grotesque choice.

The strategy is one of a range of measures we can try to reduce the risk, but we should not fool ourselves into thinking it will prevent terrorism.

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