Have a question?
033 3772 0409

Crime Solicitors

Home Secretary calls for more international co-operation to fight terrorism (17 February 2016)

Date: 17/02/2016
Duncan Lewis, Crime Solicitors, Home Secretary calls for more international co-operation to fight terrorism

Home Secretary Theresa May has called for more international co-operation in the global fight against terror.

Mrs May was speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC and said that the rise of a series of global threats had fed off the instability of conflicts overseas, which exploited modern technology such as the Internet – and which “are all too often supported by misguided individuals at home”.

She spoke of a 15-year-old boy in the UK inspired by terrorists in Syria, who was jailed for encouraging violent extremists in Australia to commit a terrorist attack on Anzac Day.

“The problems of failed and fragile states – not just in Syria, but across the Middle East and Africa – are no longer confined to those regions,” said the Home Secretary.

“Not only has this created one of the greatest humanitarian challenges in decades, it has also sparked a political crisis within the European Union.

“It has forced countries to re-examine their approach to migration and border security; and it has made the threat from terrorism more complex than ever before,” she added.

Mrs May said that Daesh – also known as IS or ISIS – was “operating in a way that we have never seen before”.

“At the start of the conflict in Syria and Iraq, some likened this to the Spanish civil war or fighters that went to Bosnia and Afghanistan,” she told delegates.

“But the reality is, we have never seen this number, demographic, or range of ages travelling to take part in a conflict – nor have we seen this scale of territorial ambition before,” she added.

The Home Secretary said that the UK government believed around 800 people of interest to the security and intelligence agencies in Britain had travelled to Syria and Iraq, including women and families.

She added that, as the threat “continued to morph and adapt”, the strength of security in Britain had prompted terrorists to seek out new methodologies – “new evasive methods and new spaces in which to carry out their crimes”.

The Home Secretary said that the draft Investigatory Powers Bill brought together all of the powers already available to law enforcement and the security and intelligence agencies, to obtain communications and data about communications – “and it ensures these powers are fit for the digital age”.

Mrs May said, however, that preventing people from becoming radicalised was an important step in tackling terrorism, including supporting community-based initiatives to challenge terrorist propaganda, through projects like Channel, which was rolled out nationally in the UK in April 2012 and has so far received more than 4,000 referrals to the programme.

Mrs May was in Washington with her counterparts in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

“Faced with the growing threat I have described, we must act with more urgency and with greater joint resolve than we have before,” she said.

“We must be more open to sharing intelligence with our partners – and more proactive in offering our expertise to help others.

“We must counter the twisted narrative peddled by Daesh and show it for what it is – a perversion of Islam built on fear and lies; and we must organise our own efforts more effectively if we are to bring order to those failed states most beset by disorder and disarray,” she added.

“Finally, and most importantly, we need to bring much greater order and joint resolve to the disparate work taking place internationally – and a comprehensive and coherent response to the common threat,” said the Home Secretary.

Duncan Lewis Terrorism Solicitors

Duncan Lewis terrorism solicitors can advise at any stage of a charge involving terrorism, including preparing for acts of terrorism, carrying out acts of terrorism, encouraging others to prepare or commit acts of terrorism, fundraising for terrorism, or belonging to a proscribed organisation.

There are Duncan Lewis offices nationwide and a criminal defence solicitor can usually reach a police station for interview under caution within an hour.

For expert legal advice on charges relating to terrorist activities, call Duncan Lewis terrorism solicitors on 0333 772 0409.

For 24/7 help at a police station, call the Duncan Lewis 24-Hour Emergency Helpline on 0333 772 0607.


For all Crime related matter contact us now.Contact Us

Call us now on 033 3772 0409 or click here to send online enquiry.
Duncan Lewis is the trading name of Duncan Lewis (Solicitors) Limited. Registered Office is 143-149 Fenchurch St, London, EC3M 6BL. Company Reg. No. 3718422. VAT Reg. No. 718729013. A list of the company's Directors is displayed at the registered offices address. Authorised and Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority . Offices all across London and in major cities in the UK. ©Duncan Lewis >>Legal Disclaimer, Copyright & Privacy Policy. Duncan Lewis do not accept service by email.