Security and Extremism
Latest Security and Extremism Publications

Delegitimising Counter-Terrorism
Sir John Jenkins, Dr Damon Perry and Dr Paul StottThe Prevent counter-terrorism strategy is perhaps the most controversial government policy most people have never heard of. Public recognition of it is generally low, but opposition from Britain’s raucous Islamist scene, near total. From there, opposition has spread to sections of the far-left, and those parts of academia where Islamism and the revolutionary left intersect. This report, written by three experts on Islamism, outlines the campaign against Prevent, and argues that this is not an exceptional campaign against a uniquely flawed policy – the groups opposing Prevent have tended to criticise pretty much any counter-terrorism policy, in sine cases for a generation. The same names and campaign groups appear time after time regardless of the colour of the government of the day.

Fishmongers’ Hall: A Preventable Tragedy
Peter Clarke CVO OBE QPMPeter Clarke, Senior Fellow at Policy Exchange, who previously served as HM Chief Inspector of Prisons and Head of Counter-Terrorism Command at New Scotland Yard, has warned that the Fishmongers’ Hall terrorist attack was “a preventable tragedy”. In a new paper for Policy Exchange, Fishmongers’ Hall: A Preventable Tragedy, he argues that the relevant police and probation officers lacked the expertise to deal with an Islamist extremist who was ‘one of the most dangerous terrorists to be released from a British prison in recent years’. Clarke urges the Government to move control of prisons from the Ministry of Justice to the Home Office, to improve public safety and security, among other policy proposals.

Justice that protects
Richard WaltonPrisons exist to keep the public safe yet in recent years the Ministry of Justice and Her Majesty’s Prisons and Probation Service has shown that they are not capable of properly managing the most dangerous offenders. This paper, by Richard Walton – a former Head of the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command – argues that it is time for the Home Secretary, and the Home Office, to supervise prisons as they did until 2007. The Ministry of Justice as it is currently configured should be abolished, with a new Lord Chancellor’s Department replacing it to work solely on courts and justice policy, at the same time enshrining in law and practice the independence of the judiciary.
Latest Security and Extremism Blogs

The Queen’s Speech and Public Protest: The Government is not clamping down on the right to protest but rather on the deliberate disruption of the public square by small groups of privileged activists
The UK has a small but determined environmentalist movement characterised by its appetite for popular protest – and the diversity of its tactics. In the last twelve months these have ranged from the Tyre Extinguishers group letting down the tyres of private motor vehicles, Insulate Britain attempting to close the M25, Extinction Rebellion blockading Oxford Circus with a giant pink table, to Just Stop Oil protestors tying themselves to the goalposts during Premier League football matches.

Fourteen questions for ministers and police emerging from the killing of Sir David Amess MP
Much of the attention following the killing of Sir David Amess MP has been focused on the rising volume of threats to MPs and the issue of online anonymity. These are very important, but a much broader set of questions around ideology is in danger of slipping from view. William Shawcross’ Independent Review of the counter-radicalisation Prevent strategy affords a major opportunity to address this imbalance and reset discussion in a neglected area of policy. Shawcross is due to report shortly to the Home Secretary.
Here are fourteen questions which emerge from the horrific events in Southend:

“Radicalised” convert kills five in Norway
On the evening of Wednesday October 13, 2021, in the city of Kongsberg, some 50 miles from Oslo, five people were killed and two more were injured in a suspected terrorist attack by a lone perpetrator. The attacker, named Espen Andersen Bråthen, was armed with a bow and arrows. He was later apprehended and charged.
Latest Security and Extremism News

Policy Exchange welcomes Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, for discussion on religious freedom and extremism
Dean Godson, Director of Policy Exchange, was delighted to welcome Mike Pompeo, United States Secretary of State, to Policy Exchange’s London offices for a discussion on religious freedom and extremism of all kinds. The discussion included the role of the state in combatting religious extremism and how the UK and the United States can work closely together to deal with these challenges.

Home Secretary to examine Treason law proposal
Policy Exchange’s proposal for a new law of Treason, which would help prosecute returning Isis fighters, was discussed in the House of Commons this week and received front page coverage in The Daily Telegraph.

Peers back Policy Exchange proposal to update treason laws
On the first day back after Parliamentary recess, Policy Exchange’s proposal to update the Law of Treason was raised by two former ministers as the House of Lords debated the Government’s latest Counter Terrorism Bill.
Latest Security and Extremism Events
Upcoming Events
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Thursday, 11 November, 2021
17:30 - 18:30
Nimco Ali OBE CEO The Five Foundation Lord Carlile of Berriew QC CBE Former Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation Professor Steven Greer Author of “Tackling Terrorism in Britain: Threats, responses and challenges twenty years after 9/11” Khalid Mahmood MP Labour MP for Perry Barr and Senior Fellow, Policy Exchange Sir Mark Rowley Former Assistant (more…)
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Monday, 11 March, 2019
18:00 - 19:30
The problem of jihadi brides and ISIL fighters has made discussions about reform of the law of treason a matter of high public importance. Policy Exchange is proud to have led the public conversation about this issue, beginning with publication in July 2018 of a major cross-party report on modernisation of the law.
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Wednesday, 12 September, 2018
18:00 - 19:30
A discussion to mark the launch of “Oceans Ventured: Winning the Cold War at Sea” – the new book by former US Secretary of the Navy John Lehman.
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Thursday, 26 July, 2018
11:30 - 13:00
United Arab Emirates Minister of State for Foreign Affairs His Excellency Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash spoke at Policy Exchange on “The Role of the Arab Gulf in Building Peace in the Middle East”.
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Thursday, 28 June, 2018
13:00 - 14:30
Secretary of State for International Development Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP and Brigadier John Deverell spoke on the strategic role of soft power, outlining how her vision for the future of UK development policy applies in the context of civilian–military cooperation, the interplay between hard and soft power, and the importance of development’s role alongside defence and diplomacy.
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Wednesday, 27 June, 2018
11:00 - 12:30
At a time of growing international instability, the Five Eyes intelligence arrangements (which brings the UK together with the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand) is of vital important to the security of Britain and its allies. While questions are being raised over the long-term future of NATO, Five Eyes represents another crucial pillar of our national security – mitigating threats from hostile states, terrorism, and other non state actors. Why does the continuation of the Five Eyes matter and what can be done to support and enhance it for the challenges ahead?
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Wednesday, 13 June, 2018
13:00 - 14:30
Launching his new book, The Muslim Brotherhood and the West: A History of Enmity and Engagement, Policy Exchange’s Co-head of Extremism and Security Dr Martyn Frampton, provided an overview of the charged relationship between one of the world’s largest political Islamist movements and the Western powers. He was joined for a discussion by chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Tom Tugendhat MP and Sir John Jenkins, former British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
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Monday, 26 February, 2018
18:00 - 19:30
The acute threat we face from terrorism will only be tackled when the whole of society understands and responds to the chronic threat from extremism, says Mark Rowley in his keynote valedictory address as Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police for Specialist Operations and National Lead for Counter Terrorism Policing delivered at Policy Exchange.
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Wednesday, 10 January, 2018
18:00 - 19:30
18:00 – Registration 18:30 – Start 19:30 – End Policy Exchange invites you to: North Korea: Is There A Military Option To Counter The Threat? with Lieutenant General (Ret.) I.-B. Chun, Former Commander, South Korea Special Warfare Command Lieutenant General I.-B. Chun is one of the most decorated officers in South Korea’s military history. He retired in July 2016 (more…)
Venue: Policy Exchange
Address:
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Thursday, 28 September, 2017
18:00 - 19:30
Policy Exchange was delighted to welcome the Hon Peter Dutton MP, Australia’s immigration minister, who reflected on the need for a carefully managed migration system in order to maintain public support for continuing new arrivals. A packed audience heard how the Australian government’s approach has tackled people trafficking while also ensuring Australia has the skilled migrants it needs and maintaining a generous settlement programme for refugees.