May pushes for greater surveillance in the face of growing terror threat

On the eve of what will be a hard and critical look at the performance of the security agencies and police around the 2013 murder of Drummer Lee Rigby, the state launches a week long publicity drive to warn of the current dangers and the government in the shape of the home secretary will unveil new plans for greater surveillance in the face of the growing threat.

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Reports suggest the Intelligence and Security committee 18 month inquiry into the Woolwich act of terror will expose gaps in that area which may well help the government to ram home the message that more spying on communications is crucial.

The security service and the police had files on both suspects, Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale.

They were marginal figures in counter-terrorist investigations in the years preceding Lee Rigby’s murder, though Adebolajo had links to the now outlawed group al-Muhajiroun.

Events since suggest the fear of more barbaric ‘random’ attacks is now preying heavily on the authorities minds.

It was alluded to yesterday when the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan Howe spoke about foiling 4 or 5 possible attacks this year.

Hence the call for public help in areas like vigilance in crowded places and transport hubs, preventing violent extremism, cutting off terrorist financing, and preventing access to tools that terrorists need to operate.​

But this week is also about the lessons learned from Woolwich not that I suspect Lee Rigby’s killing could have been prevented. Even hindsight has its limitations.

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