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Al-Qaeda has 50-year plan, conflict to continue for at least 10 years
The country's anti-terrorism chief said on Thursday radical reforms were needed to tackle the al Qaeda threat and that it was "hopelessly optimistic" to think authorities would stamp out the danger in the next 10 years.Peter Clarke, head of the anti-terrorist branch, said fundamental changes had to be made into the investigation and prosecution of terrorism cases. The country needed a new national counter-terrorism structure, he said and called for changes to trials to allow jurors to hear evidence which currently courts rule to be too prejudicial. Clarke's comments come after the government won key votes on two controversial security bills this week, one which toughened up existing security measures and another which brought in national identity cards. Speaking at a conference at London's Royal United Services Institute, Clarke said police were still learning about the nature of the al Qaeda threat and how to deal with it. Asked whether police would be in a position to counter the threat within five to 10 years, he said that was "hopelessly optimistic." "I only wish that could be the case but I very much doubt it," he told the conference, adding it was thought Osama bin Laden's organisation had a 50-year strategy in place. The threat to the country was graphically demonstrated last July when four suicide bombers killed 52 commuters on London's transport system. Two weeks later police say four other suspects attempted to repeat the attack but their bombs failed to go off. There were now 60 defendants awaiting trial for suspected terrorism offences in Britain, a number Clarke described as "unprecedented". Consequently, Britain needed a new central hub for dealing with counter-terrorism as currently only London had the necessary resources. "The events of last July showed this is no longer appropriate," he said. "We need some form of national structure which still draws on the traditional local links." Much of the recent heated debate in the country has focussed on whether new powers sought by the government infringed civil liberties and would alienate the Muslim community, which critics say would be counter-productive. It has also seen terrorism, an issue on which parties traditionally work together, becoming a major political issue. Describing himself as a "human rights policeman", Clarke said no one could claim the "monopoly on wisdom". "What we must do is avoid policies and procedures that in themselves generate distrust," he said. "It is nothing to do with appeasing extremists or political correctness." Problems often arose, he said, because tight legal restrictions meant the public had to be kept in the dark. "Much of the debate and comment about counter terrorism has been skewed or lacking in detail because of the length of time it takes cases to reach trial," he said. He cited the dramatic 2003 raid on London's Finsbury Park Mosque, which had been a focal point for extremists not just in Britain but across Europe and beyond. It was only after radical cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri was jailed this month for inciting his followers at the mosque to commit murder that police could reveal they had found evidence of possible militant training camps in Britain. Clarke also said jurors should be trusted more. "I have a difficulty around the degree of information we allow jurors to hear," he said. "There is a real question here about to what extent in this day and age we should trust juries to judge the truly probative from the prejudicial." Posted by: Dan Darling 2006-02-17 |
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