Capital resilience - MPA listens to London's demands for tougher infrastructure

41/06
12 July 2006

Representatives from London’s business sectors, local authorities and tourist industry met on 6 July 2006 at the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) to discuss counter-terrorism policing in the capital and their reactions to it.

‘Counter-Terrorism: The London Debate’ also gave them the opportunity to put their concerns to another invitee, Assistant Commissioner Steve House, who heard their concerns and answered questions.

Toby Harris, chair of the ‘London Debate’ panel and member with special responsibility for counter-terrorism, said:

“We gained valuable insight into how counter-terrorism policing impacts on those people who are crucial to maintaining our capital’s infrastructure and success.

“Local government representatives explained how police could communicate more successfully with specific communities. With the Forest Gate police operation as an example, they discussed the need for all police information and communications to be on the community's terms and in their language, to answer the community's own questions (not the questions the police think the community ought to ask), and to be quicker off the mark, so avoiding misinformation and rumour rapidly filling an information vacuum.

“Business colleagues called for a single police source of clear, reliable and consistent information for the business community at times of crisis. They also emphasised that more work needs to be done with small and medium-sized enterprises to ensure that they have continuity plans in place to avoid them going under if they are caught up in a disaster.

“London’s tourism lost an estimated £536 million following the terrorist outrages last year and global media coverage changed the image of the Met from a bobby on the beat to an armed man in body armour. However with detailed market research and innovative visitor schemes such as ‘Texas on Tower Bridge’, the ‘Oxford Street Festival’ and ‘Everyone’s London’ the industry has fought back with amazing results. Passenger figures on the Tube reached a new high by November 2005 and visitor numbers to London had recovered by January 2006. London remains a leading world capital and global tourism hub.

“These perspectives on London life are vital to providing Londoners with a strong, integrated approach to fighting terrorism. Their knowledge and lessons learnt are crucial for us to piece together a jigsaw of experience which will help us, together with the MPS, make London as safe as possible for everyone who works and lives here, as well as our visitors.”

Six hearings have been organised by the MPA to give specifically invited London communities the opportunity to express their views about counter-terrorism policing to a panel of MPA members. The first hearing on Thursday 29 June 2006 enabled young Londoners to put their views to the MPA’s guest the Commissioner Sir Ian Blair.

Notes to editors

1.Toby Harris, MPA member with special responsibility for counter-terrorism, Cindy Butts and Reshard Auladin, both deputy chairs of the MPA, form the MPA panel that hears evidence presented by invited communities.

2. There will also be external guest panellists at each hearing.

3. A senior MPS officer will be invited to each session to provide an initial response to the communities’ issues and then take questions from the group. The first hearing on 29 June 2006 was attended by the Commissioner and the second on 6 July 2006 was attended by Assistant Commissioner Steve House.

4. The programme for the six hearings is:

• Thursday 29 June - young people
• Thursday 6 July – councillors, business and tourism representatives
• Thursday 7 September - faith groups
• Thursday 5 October - women
• Thursday 16 November - Asian men
• Thursday 7 December - police and government

5. Following on from these hearings the work will include:

• six confidential focus groups with students in London universities and colleges, to discuss extremist recruitment and radicalisation on campus
• thirty-two local consultations - one in every London borough
• analysis of qualitative data received through the MPA website
• a publication, featuring contributions from practitioners, commentators and community representatives

6. Attendance at this programme of events is by invitation only.

7. Further information about the MPA’s programme of events can be found at:
www.mpa.gov.uk/issues/counterterrorism/default.htm

8. Confidential anti-terrorist hotline: 0800 789 321

9. Crimestoppers: 0800 555 111

Further media information

For further information, please contact the MPA press office

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