Ex-police chief backs anti-terror measures

Britain’s former top policeman today vigorously defended the UK government’s controversial anti-terror plans – and attacked opponents for failing to understand “the brutal reality of the world we live in”.

The Prevention of Terrorism Bill, which scraped through the Commons by just 14 votes, faces further opposition when it comes to the committee stage in the House of Lords next week.

The bill is intended to introduce control orders for terrorist suspects enabling the authorities to impose curfews, tagging, bans on telephone and internet use as well as house arrest in the most serious cases.

Writing in the News of the World, John Stevens, who retired as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in January, gives ardent support to the anti-terror measures and says any delay in enacting the law “can only give comfort to the terrorists in our midst waiting to attack us”.

He also castigates those who would thwart the progress of Home Secretary Charles Clarke’s bill: “The main opposition to the bill, it seems to me, is from people who simply haven’t understood the brutal reality of the world we live in and the true horror of the terrorism we face.”

It was last December’s Law Lords ruling that the detention of foreign suspects without trial was unlawful that forced the British government to rush in alternative measures before the current law expires on March 14.

In addition to the bill’s difficult progress through parliament, the all-party Joint Committee on Human Rights warned last week that the revised plans to allow judges to impose “control orders” on terrorism suspects may still breach human rights laws.

The former Met Police chief admits he has reservations about details, such as the practical application of house arrest and believes it should be for senior judges – not just politicians – to decide on detention without trial.

He is also against opposition demands for “undercover” evidence to be routinely revealed to secure conventional convictions.

But he says there are possibly more than 200 al-Qaida-trained terrorists walking the streets of Britain in a threat which “thrives” despite the best efforts of brave police and under-cover surveillance teams.

Stevens says his hair was made to “stand on end” by shocking reports of atrocities that al-Qaida and its associates were planning.

He criticised human rights laws for being “skewed” towards individuals and not allowing the terror suspects detained in high-security jails to be deported back to the countries they came from, but says it would be “madness” to let them out.

He warns the threat is not just from abroad, and lists homegrown terrorists, such as jailed shoe bomber Richard Reid from London, and Gloucester’s Saajid Badat, who this week admitted plotting to blow up a plane with a explosive hidden in his shoe.

The ex-police chief adds: “The brutal truth is that there are more just like them, as much British citizens as you and I, living here now just waiting to kill and be killed in their awful misguided cause.”

Successive briefings since the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington shocked and dismayed Tony Blair, he says, and adds: “The world has changed. We need to take new steps for new threats.

“At the very least, this new act must be passed as soon as possible.”

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten said: “While Sir John is right to highlight the serious threat that we face we believe that strong principles of justice will not undermine national security.

“Of more concern are his comments that the current Belmarsh detainees pose a serious threat.

“This conflicts with the home secretary’s opinion that they will not need to be placed under house arrest when they leave Belmarsh.

“These mixed messages are unhelpful in an already complicated situation.”