Are You Countering Terrorism? Introduction To The Series…………. Protecting the public remains the highest priority of the Police Service but the growth of international terrorism over recent years has resulted in the publics’ protection being severely threatened. No community is immune from the global reach of international terrorism and the UK is a prime target for Al-Qaida and its affiliates. It is therefore necessary that police colleagues have an awareness of counter terrorism issues.
The way in which we police terrorism is developing in response to the enduring threat. This area of policing is no longer the sole responsibility of specialist departments, we all have a part to play. But what do you know and understand about terrorism? What do you know about terrorist organisations and how they operate? And how can you develop your policing skills to assist in countering terrorism? In this series we aim to provide you with an awareness of the guiding principles used to police terrorism.
We will be delving into a subject which was once shrouded in secrecy. We will not however be disclosing sensitive policing tactics but we will be sharing knowledge and expertise in this field which you may not have had regular access to before. To counter terrorism effectively we need to broaden our knowledge and understanding of terrorism itself. In this first article of the series we therefore focus upon the concept of terrorism, looking specifically at its definition, classifications and key characteristics.
These are the initial building blocks of knowledge we require to understand terrorism so that we are better prepared to counter its threats. Concept of Terrorism Defining Terrorism Terrorism is nothing new, its origins can be traced back in time for centuries but it remains a much contested concept to this day. Academic opinions remain divided upon its most accurate definition. A clear legal definition of terrorism is however provided by Section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2000. The legal definition is broad and is designed to capture the diverse range of activities associated with acts of terrorism.
But how does the definition really help us to understand what terrorism actually is? First and foremost terrorism is a crime, one which has serious consequences and requires to be distinguished from other types of crime, but it is a crime nonetheless. The key features of terrorism that distinguish it from other types of crime are its core motivations. Terrorism may be driven, as the legal definition states, by political, ideological or religious objectives. These objectives are unlike other criminal motivations such as for personal gain or in the pursuit of revenge.
Terrorists may be driven by any one or any combination of the three core motivations but the primary motivator is political, as individuals who are driven by religious or ideological beliefs have to gain some political ground to compel others to conform to their point of view. Acts of terrorism therefore convey a message, a message that attempts to persuade us or to force us to accept the view and beliefs of others. Terrorism is a very powerful way in which to promote beliefs and has potentially serious consequences for society.
If allowed to grow and flourish terrorism can undermine national security, it can cause instability to a country, and in the most extreme of circumstances can lead to war. These are a very different set of outcomes when compared against the outcomes of other types of crime. This is the very reason why policing terrorism is different to policing other types of crime and why it requires a different approach to prevent and detect it as we will discuss later in this series. Terrorism Classification
There are different types of terrorism and extremism and it is important to identify which type of terrorism and extremism an individual or group belongs to. We need to establish from the outset who, why and what we are dealing with in order to counter it effectively. Terrorism can be classified into six broad categories which includes Political, Religious, Ideological, Nationalist, State-sponsored and Single-issue. We will address each of these categories as follows; Political & Religious terrorism perceives to act upon orders of a higher or divine authority.
They are often the most violent and robust of terrorism organisations as they believe their actions are sanctioned by this higher authority. They believe that their actions are morally justified and that they will be vindicated of any wrong doing when carrying out orders in pursuit of their objectives. Ideological terrorism and extremism seeks to change the entire social, economic and political systems of a country. They are violent individuals and groups who can come from either the extreme left-wing or extreme right-wing of the political spectrum.
Ideological terrorism objectives are set very high and attempt to achieve a great deal. In order to achieve these objectives it often requires a full social revolution to take place and the term ‘social-revolutionary’ is often used to describe this grouping. Nationalist terrorism groups claim to be the authentic voice of a national culture. Through acts of violence they attempt to restore their lands back to one single larger country or seek complete independence from it creating a new separate state.
Well known nationalist terrorist organisations include the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) of Spain. State-sponsored terrorism requires a state to support terrorism activities in pursuit of achieving its political objectives. These terrorist activities are usually carried out in a third or neighbouring country, a tactic often used to fulfil political agendas as any allegations of state involvement in terrorism can be easily denied or disassociated from political parties when such acts are conducted in other countries.
Single-issue terrorism and extremism focuses on a specific policy, practice or procedure. The key objective is to change, block or at the very least disrupt or deter one issue from continuing in its present form. Unlike purely ideological terrorism and extremism, single-issue groups do not seek a full-scale political revolution Identifying the type of terrorism or extremism an individual or group belongs to is an important step in beginning to understand what it is they actually want to achieve. This understanding forms the basis of how we can most effectively employ counter measures.
It provides an insight into what the key characteristics of the individual or group may be and what tactics may be used to convey their message and promote their beliefs. Terrorism Characteristics Terrorism may be the only tactic used by an individual or group to further their particular cause but it may also be used as part of a much wider strategy which includes other non-violent or legitimate components. There are three common characteristics of terrorism wherever it is used throughout the world. Firstly, that the acts themselves are pre-meditated.
The very nature of these acts reveals that maximising casualties and raising fear amongst a wider audience is meticulously calculated throughout attack planning activities. To evidence the level of planning within terrorist organisations we need only to observe the activities of the Al-Qaida inspired terrorist cell responsible for the Madrid bombings. On the morning of Thursday 11th March 2004 terrorist cell members placed ten rucksack improvised explosive devices packed with nails, on four separate commuter trains in Madrid.
Within a space of three minutes all of the devices were detonated on busy carriages during the rush hour at El Pozo Station, Calle Tellez, Atocha Station and Santa Eugenia Station. The co-ordinated explosions claimed 191 lives leaving more than 1,800 injured. The victims came from 17 countries including Spain, France, Bulgaria and Poland, but they also came from as far as Brazil, Peru, Chile and Cuba making this attack truly global in scale, an attack that so far remains Europe’s worst terrorist incident this century. This attack was planned to coincide with the Spanish general elections occurring three days before voting commenced.
A little known fact however is that it was also committed exactly 911 days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States. Was this just a coincidence of attack planning of the Al-Qaida inspired cell? or part of the powerful delivery of their message? The second common characteristic found in acts of terrorism throughout the world is the indiscriminate nature of attacks. A target rich environment is offered to those terrorist groups who seek civilian casualties. They can carefully select a target and decide when and how to attack for maximum impact.
There are many tactical options available to terrorist groups. Some of the most commonly used tactical options are indiscriminate by their very nature which includes vehicle devices and suicide bombings. Even if a terrorist organisation selects what it perceives to be ‘legitimate targets’ such as military installations or government premises, innocent civilians are often killed or injured. The sheer number of potential targets and tactical options therefore provides the terrorists with a high probability of success, and where desired, with the very minimum of risk.
The third and final characteristic found in acts of terrorism throughout the world is that the acts themselves cross the boundaries set by society. Acts of terrorism deliberately breach human rights, they do so to maximise fear so that we may be forced to make concessions in order to prevent further attacks. Identifying the characteristics of an individual or group provides an insight of the terrorists determination to achieve their objectives. We can then make informed decisions on the most effective way to protect the public and to counter the potential threats. Summary……
Terrorism is a broad concept and has a wide definition and a variety of characteristics. It is not an easy subject to understand or relate to, neither is it a simple issue to resolve. Making steps to understand terrorism will however help us to respond effectively to it. Having examined the concept of terrorism we will next week focus on how we can devise strategies to counter terrorism, but until then you may wish to consider the challenges of constructing such a strategy and whilst doing so, consider the following; A free and democratic society offers terrorists the same freedoms.
A counter terrorism strategy must protect the public but it must also preserve the very freedoms the terrorists wish to exploit. Terrorists are restricted by the hostile environment in which they operate. The police service are vital components in creating and enforcing this hostile environment, so are you countering terrorism? Author: Andrew Staniforth Detective Sergeant Training Development Co-ordinator Organisation Learning & Development Counter Terrorism Unit (Leeds) ———————– Counter Terrorism Unit (Leeds) Are You Countering Terrorism? proposed schedule) Week 1 Concept of Terrorism – identifies the definition, classification and key characteristics of terrorism. Week 2Counter Terrorism Strategy – focuses on national strategies to counter international terrorism. Week 3Countering Terrorism – identifies who is responsible for countering terrorism in the UK. Week 4Policing Terrorism – analyses the role of the police service in countering terrorism. Week 5Terrorist Ideologies – focuses on the key drivers of terrorists and what they want to achieve. Week 6Terrorist Organisations identifies the component parts of a terrorist organisation. Week 7Terrorist Tactics – examines the methodology of terrorists and their organisations. Week 8Threats From Terrorism – identifies how the UK assesses the threat from international terrorism. Week 9Terrorism Legal Framework – outlines the legislation in place to pursue terrorists. Week 10Investigating Terrorism – examines the differences between criminal and terrorist investigations. [pic] Section 1, Chapter 11, Terrorism Act 2000 Interpretation of Terrorism ‘Terrorism’ means the use or threat of action where; ) it involves serious violence against a person, involves serious damage to property, endangers a persons life (other than that of the person committing the action), creates a serious risk to the health or safety of the public, or a section of the public, or is designed seriously to interfere with or seriously to disrupt an electronic system; b) it is designed to influence the government, or an international government organisation, or to intimidate the public or a section of the public; and; c) is made for the purpose of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause.
