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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Paul Britton

The country's most senior anti-terror police chief has warned of a 'significant growth of right-wing terrorism' in the UK

The country's top anti-terror police officer has warned of a 'significant growth of right-wing terrorism in the UK'.

Neil Basu spoke as he revealed almost a third of terrorist attacks foiled since 2017 were 'linked to the ideology'.

Police and security services have foiled 22 would-be attacks since March of that year, with seven said to be related to right-wing terrorism.

Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Basu, head of Counter Terrorism Policing, has now called on the public to help those they believe could be vulnerable to radicalisation.

Right-wing extremism is now said to represent more than 10 per cent of Counter Terrorism Police's caseload, up from six per cent just two years ago.

Assistant commissioner Basu said the ideology accounted for 24 per cent of terrorism-related arrests in the 12 months to June this year.

He also revealed around 800 counter-terror investigations were currently 'live'.

Scotland Yard (PA)

"There is a small but growing threat from right-wing terrorism to the UK and we are working alongside our partners in the security services to combat it," he said.

"It's rising from a low base, but it's probably the fastest growing bit of my casebook at the moment.

"I see it as my job, and the security service as my major partner, to stop that.

"We are dedicating more officers and more resources to tackle it, and together we are bringing the full might of the UK counter terror machine to bear against those who wish to do us harm or incite violence.

"The whole of society has a part to play in this fight.

"My officers might be on the frontline, but we cannot succeed without the help and support of the public."

Assistant commissioner Neil Basu (PA)

Mr Basu said counter-terror police and MI5 have disrupted right-wing plots 'designed to kill people'.

Attack methods used and planned have mimicked those seen in jihadist plots, including knife attacks and improvised explosive devices, he told reporters at a London brifeing.

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"Despite the increases, right-wing terrorism remains a relatively small percentage of our overall demand, but when nearly a third of the plots foiled by police and security services since 2017 relate to right-wing ideology, it lays bare why we are taking this so seriously," Mr Basu said.

"As a proportion of our overall threat it's definitely increasing, whereas the Islamist threat is staying the same, albeit at a very high level."

Around 800 current counter-terror investigations are said to be 'live' (PA)

Home Office figures also show more people are trusting the Government's Prevent programme, with referrals into the safeguarding scheme nearly doubling since 2015/16.

Mr Basu said: "We are currently running more than 800 live investigations and the only way we will see that decline in the long-term is to start treating the causes of terrorism and not just the symptoms.

"The Prevent programme is our best hope of doing that, and we have thousands of people around the country who work every day to guard vulnerable people against the dangers of extremism and radicalisation.

"The most effective way people can support us in this work is to trust police with information that could save lives."

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