Today marks one year since the terror attacks in Israel on 7th October 2023. Head of Counter Terrorism Policing, Matt Jukes reflects on the last 12 months:
Head of Counter Terrorism Policing, AC Matt Jukes
“The terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas against Israel on 7th October 2023 marked the beginning of an extraordinary year for all those concerned with global and domestic security. The tragic loss of life in those attacks, the hostage taking and the significant human impact of the subsequent conflict in Gaza, and now the wider region, have been felt in communities around the world, and of course, here at home.
“My thoughts remain with everyone affected by last year’s attacks and by the conflict in the Middle East over the last 12 months, with the loss of so many lives resonating both in the region and here in the UK.
“Counter Terrorism Policing has received extraordinary levels of contact from the public since October last year. From raising concern about online material, to identifying individuals who might be headed towards violence, these reports are vital and many have led directly to action being taken.
“We continue to track the impact of events and we’re vigilant to the potential consequences here in the UK. In the days ahead we will remember Terence Carney who was murdered on the 15th of October 2023 in Hartlepool.
“The commitment of CTP’s network of specialist officers and staff during this period has mirrored the scale of the challenges they have faced. They continue to work tirelessly with frontline policing and partner agencies, responding in ways that are not always visible to the public but that are critical to our security.”
The role Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) has played in the conflict, both internationally and domestically, over the last 12 months involves:
- CTP has assisted the coroner with the repatriation of five UK nationals killed in the conflict. We carry out this role due to our unique operational experience in dealing with UK fatalities in conflict zones. 16 British nationals lost their lives on the 7th of October and in the months that followed.
- Over 20 specialist CTP Family Liaison Officers have been deployed to support the families of the British nationals killed over the past year.
- There have been over 80 arrests for terrorism offences directly related to the conflict. Roughly half of these relate to protest activity and the other half for online offences.
- In relation to harmful content online, we’ve received over 4600 referrals and around 1100 of these referrals had been identified as having a link to the UK and could potentially be in breach of terrorism or other UK legislation or be of interest to policing.
- Between 7th October 2023 and 27th September 2024, CTP has seen a 15 percent increase in intelligence submissions compared to the same time period in the previous year (7 October 2022 to 27 September 2023). It is clear the conflict has led to increased reporting, although we can’t be certain that all additional reports are a direct result.
- CTP has seen a seven percent increase in referrals to Prevent compared to the same time period of the previous year (7th October 2022 to 27th September 2023). It is clear the conflict has led to increased reporting, although we can’t be certain that all additional reports are a direct result.