Tri-Service

Britain’s Borders ‘Not As Secure As They Should Be’

Britain’s borders are not as secure as they should be, according to a major counter-terrorism review.

The independent study said there are “real concerns” about how easy is could be for terrorists to bring guns into the UK.

It said efforts to prevent the weapons being smuggled into the country must be stepped up.

The report, which was ordered after the terror attacks in Brussels and Paris, claimed it was “a matter of not if, but when” a serious attack would take place in the country, despite the quality of the work being carried out by the intelligence agencies and police.

More - Paris Attacks: The Balkan Connection

The official threat level for a terror attack in the UK currently stands at severe, meaning an attack is “highly likely”.

The report, carried out by Lord Toby Harris of Haringey, said a marauding firearms attack, such as that used in Paris last year, was considered to be the most significant terror threat facing Britain.

More - Cameron: Seven UK Terror Attacks Stopped In Last Six Months

Around 850 UK extremists have travelled to Syria and Iraq to join Islamic State, with around half estimated to have returned.

The report said:

"Our borders are not as secure as they should be and much greater efforts should be made to prevent the illegal transportation of weapons and people into the country. It would be naive in the extreme to assume that would-be terrorists will not attempt to exploit any such weaknesses."

It called for routine screening and searching of cars and freight entering the country to be “significantly enhanced” and for an uplift in land-based and sea-based Border Force coverage.

Fifty of the 73 highest risk crowded places across the country are in London, with any attack in the capital likely to have a significant impact on the national economy that could cost £1 billion.

The report said there should be a pilot of new public alert technology to advise Londoners of a major attack, with messages sent directly to mobile devices

Lord Harris said: "The quality and effectiveness of the work done by the intelligence services and the counter-terrorist police is amongst the best in the world, and if London were subject to a terrorist attack today, our emergency services response would be substantially faster than five years ago.