National Counter Terrorism Policing Network

The National Counter Terrorism Policing Network (NCTPN) (also known as the Police Counter-Terrorism Network) is the national collaboration of police forces in the United Kingdom working to prevent, deter and investigate terrorism in the United Kingdom.[1][2] The Network is governed by the National Police Collaboration Agreement Relating to Counter Terrorism Activities Made Under Section 22A of the Police Act 1996.[3] The Network is accountable to the United Kingdom Government and the National Police Chiefs' Council Counter Terrorism Coordination Committee which is chaired by the Metropolitan Police Service Assistant Commissioner of Specialist Operations (ACSO) who also acts as the National Lead for Counter Terrorism Policing. The Network is also functionally coordinated by the Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism who is usually a Metropolitan Police Service Deputy Assistant Commissioner co-located within the Counter Terrorism Command.[4]

The Network stretches across the United Kingdom and sees specialist officers and staff working with the Home Office, MI5 and other intelligence, security and criminal justice agencies around the world. It is made up of dedicated Regional Counter Terrorism Units and national police units and is responsible for the delivery of the policing contribution to the CONTEST strategy.[2]

The Australian Federal Police's Joint Counter Terrorism Teams, Canada's Integrated National Security Enforcement Teams, and the United States' Joint Terrorism Task Force model can be seen as analogous to the National Counter Terrorism Policing Network.

Counter Terrorism Coordination Committee

The Counter Terrorism Coordination Committee (CTCC) of the National Police Chiefs' Council is a national coordination body made of chief officers of the nine regional lead counter terrorism police forces and other thematic leads alongside senior representatives of government departments and other agencies including the Home Office and MI5. It is chaired by Metropolitan Police Service Assistant Commissioner of Specialist Operations Mark Rowley with the vice chair being West Midlands Police Chief Constable David Thompson.

The CTCC is the focal point for on counter terrorism policing and related issues and is responsible for developing national counter terrorism and domestic extremism strategic policy through the National Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters (NCTPHQ). The CTCC also liaises with government and other partners on behalf of UK police forces. The CTCC is also staffed by a small number of chief police officers dedicated full-time to providing strategic direction and coordination relating to particular counter terrorism policing themes.[2]

The National Counter Terrorism Policing Senior Leadership as defined by the National Counter Terrorism Collaboration Agreement as the CTCC Chair, Vice Chair(s)s, the Senior National Coordinator, the Director of Counter Terrorism Strategy and Policy, the Director of Counter Terrorism Resources, the National Coordinator Protect and Prepare, the National Coordinator Prevent, and the National Coordinator Pursue who is the concurrent Deputy Senior National Coordinator.[3]

National Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters

The National Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters (NCTPHQ) is responsible for developing policy and strategy and providing a single national counter terrorism policing voice on behalf of the National Counter Terrorism Policing Network. The NCTPHQ also coordinates national projects and programmes, provides administrative and support services to the national network, advises the government on budgets and resourcing for counter terrorism policing in England and Wales.

Counter Terrorism Policing Operations Centre

Within the CTPHQ is the Counter Terrorism Policing Operations Centre (CTPOC) serving as the central operational command made up of units that provide operational support to the National Counter Terrorism Policing Network. Teams within the Operations Centre are:

  • Ports Team
  • Intelligence Team
  • Firearms Suppression Team
  • Coordination Centre

Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism

The Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism (SNC) is responsible for coordinating counter terrorism investigations and prevention activities for the National Counter Terrorism Policing Network.[5] The SNC is usually a concurrent Metropolitan Police Service Counter Terrorism Command Deputy Assistant Commissioner and is aided by the Deputy Senior Coordinator for Counter Terrorism from outside the Metropolitan Police. In March 2018 Neil Basu (former Deputy Assistant Commissioner and SNC) was promoted to Assistant Commissioner[6] and in May 2018 Dean Haydon, new Deputy Assistant Commissioner, was appointed as a new SNC.[7]

Regional Counter Terrorism Units

The National Counter Terrorism Policing Network is made up of eleven Regional Counter Terrorism Units (CTUs) and Regional Counter Terrorism Intelligence Units (CTIUs) which bring together intelligence, operations and investigation functions around the United Kingdom to help prevent, disrupt and prosecute terrorist activities.[2] Units are regionally based and resourced by regional police forces and are composed of detectives, financial and cyber investigators, community contact teams, intelligence analysts, and forensic specialists. Each CTU provides coordination and specialist support for their respective regions. The CTUs are located as follows:[4]

The Regional Counter Terrorism Intelligence Units are also resourced by the police forces in their respective areas and carry out primarily intelligence gathering operations. The CTIUs are located as follows:[2]

Special Branches

In addition to the regional counter terrorism units, local Special Branches assist in protecting national security and are in some police forces managed and tasked by the regional counter terrorism units.[8]

See also

References
  1. "UK Counter Terrorism Policing". www.counterterrorism.police.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  2. "Counter Terrorism Policing - What We Do". counterterrorism.police.uk. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  3. "National Counter Terrorism Collaboration Agreement" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-11-27. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  4. "UK Counter Terrorism Policing - Our Network". counterterrorism.police.uk/our-network/. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  5. "New Senior National Coordinator for CT Policing announced". news.npcc.police.uk. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  6. Grierson, Jamie (28 March 2018). "Met police appoint new counter-terrorism chief". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  7. "Dean Haydon appointed as Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing". news.npcc.police.uk. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  8. The Terrorism Acts in 2012: Report of the Independent Reviewer on the Operation of the Terrorism Act 2000 and of part 1 of the Terrorism Act 2006. Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation David Anderson. Page 46
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