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UK Intelligence chiefs call for Parliament 'ring of steel'; new national security measures
MI5 is to call for a steel barrier to be erected around the Houses of Parliament to offer better protection from potential terrorist attacks. The BBC has reported that the dossier will recommend replacing the concrete blocks currently situated around the Palace of Westminster, which officers fear could become "lethal projectiles" in any attack. It is also claimed that there are concerns that St Stephen's Tower, the clock tower which houses Big Ben, could topple and cause large-scale damage if it is targeted in a bombing. A review of security measures in Westminster was launched following the purple flour bomb attack on Tony Blair inside the Commons chamber during Prime Minister's Questions in May.The report follows claims that the security service is to create a new network of bases in the North West, West Midlands and other regions which are home to extreme Islamist groups. A Whitehall official said: "The scale of the terrorist threat is such that MI5 and the police need to be able to work together even more closely, which means that the Security Service must be dispersed in a different way." It is said that MI5 will place intelligence officers, surveillance teams and analysts across the country and set up a pilot scheme to test the proposal within months. The idea is thought to be a response to the emergence of connections between young Britons living outside London and international terrorist groups. In a separate move, Ken Macdonald, QC, the director of public prosecutions, is understood to be seeking extended powers for prosecutors and police who deal with suspected terrorists. Sounds good to me. Posted by: Bulldog 2004-07-12 |
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