Ministers ‘must consult business’ on anti-terror plans
The government must work more closely with business in planning for and responding to terrorist attacks, an influential think tank has said.
In a new report, Demos says that the consultation carried out with different communities in the wake of the London bombings should occur as a matter of course with business leaders.
It notes that 85 per cent of terrorist attacks in the world are against business targets, and highlights the fact that the private sector controls the majority of Britain’s critical national infrastructure, such as water, electricity, telecommunications and banking.
As such, it recommends that a seat on the government’s anti-terrorist task force Cobra be reserved for a representative of British industry, such as CBI chief Sir Digby Jones, to ensure business opinions are taken into account.
“The unwritten, unspoken assumption remains that government leads and business follows; that government has a monopoly on useful information and intelligence; and that ultimately it is the state that ‘delivers’ security for the UK,” said report author Rachel Briggs.
“In the aftermath of the London bombings and the subsequent abortive attacks last month, there’s been an outbreak of feverish talk about ‘community participation’ in counter-terrorism. But we’ve heard little from the police and politicians about the role that companies should play.”
Ms Briggs, head of international programmes at Demos, welcomed the new partnership between the Metropolitan and City of London police and the capital’s business community, but argued this should be expanded.
“Business needs to be at the heart of decision-making in a crisis. It makes no sense for key institutional tools to be staffed exclusively by civil servants and politicians with limited commercial experience,” she said.
“As a matter of course, a place on the Cobra committee should be reserved for a senior business representative such as the director general of the Confederation of British Industry.”
She added: “Defeating this new brand of terrorism will require radical thinking about the way our national security machinery is organised.
“The last bastion of secrecy will need to open its doors and find practical ways of engaging companies, as well as communities. Otherwise, we’ll be fighting terrorism with one hand tied behind our backs.”
