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Terror attacks spark debate about Britain's counter-terror strategy

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Britain's counter-terror strategy is being questioned in the wake of recent events

LONDON: A string of attacks claiming 34 lives in less than three months has sparked a tough debate about Britain's counter-terror strategy and buffeted the country's election campaign.

After seven people were killed in central London on Saturday, less than a fortnight after 22 concert-goers were slain by a suicide bomber in Manchester, Prime Minister Theresa May declared "enough is enough" and sketched plans for tougher anti-terror measures.

She pointed to longer jail terms for terrorism offences, even minor ones, and said Internet companies should deny extremism a place in which to breed.

Other proposals floated in the British press include electronically tagging or even interning jihadists on watch lists, requiring proof of ID for unregistered SIM cards for mobile phones, and police background checks for people who want to rent a car immediately.

But after a one-day suspension of campaigning ahead of Thursday's vote, Mrs May's record has become a hot election issue and the ruling Conservatives - traditionally popular on the issue of security - find themselves on the back foot.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called on Mrs May to quit yesterday, pointing to the loss of 20,000 police jobs, mostly during her six years as interior minister under Mr David Cameron.

Labour has promised to recruit more police officers, adding to neighbourhood security that it sees as an essential element for counter-terror strategies.

Asked by ITV television if he backed the calls for Mrs May to resign, Mr Corbyn said: "Indeed I would... We should never have cut the police numbers."

Dr Mark Garnett, a lecturer in politics at Lancaster University in north-west England, said Mr Corbyn was trying to hit a sweet spot with just three days left before voting day.

"From Mrs May's point of view, it's very difficult for her to suggest anything radically different because of course she's been in charge of security policy for the last seven years, either in overall charge or as home secretary," he said. "I think she's absolutely under terrible pressure."

Outside the political arena, commentators say tackling Islamic radicalisation is a delicate challenge, and electioneering could have unwanted consequences.

"If you intervene in Muslim communities, you may actually radicalise people. But if you don't intervene in Muslim communities, then you may actually allow people to be radicalised," said Professor Steven Fielding from Nottingham University.

Tougher laws and police powers may fail to prevent low-technology attacks, such as the two van-and-knives assaults that occurred in London, and may well end up alienating British Muslims, he said.

Britain already has a long roster of security tools, headed by so-called Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures (TPims).

Introduced in 2012 and toughened in 2015, TPims apply to people who are deemed a threat but cannot be prosecuted or, in the case of foreigners, deported.

They grant the authorities the ability, lasting initially for one year but extendable to two, to implement a form of house arrest and relocate a subject up to 320km from their residence. - AFP

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