Police praise public’s support in fight against terrorism

Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, Britain’s most senior counter-terrorism police officer, has praised the co-operation between the police and the public, as working to the ‘greatest advantage’. Rowley cited figures that showed the public made over 3,600 contributions to the fight against terror, every day, through anti-terrorist hotline calls and the reporting of suspicious online content. The news comes as the threat to the UK is ranked at the second highest of five possible levels, meaning an attack is likely. Rowley has called for ‘even more public assistance’, urging people to report sightings of unusual behaviour and raise concerns about neighbours and friends becoming ‘more extreme’. In an interview with the BBC, Rowley said: "We are drawing people back from a path towards extremism through partnership activity. Even if you take a view that 90 per cent of those people may have self-treated or not gone on to become terrorists, that is still a massive effect." In a blog post for the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), Rowley added: “Every call, every referral, every briefing is part of our joint fight against terrorism. The information we receive helps our investigations, intelligence-gathering and preventative work; they help us carry out significant protective security operations; they help us get the right support for vulnerable people, and they undermine the plans of terrorists." Rowley also maintained: “But for me our greatest advantage is the co-operation between the public and the police. It has often been said that 'communities defeat terrorism' and now that's more important than ever before."