4 Conclusion
58. The events of 11 September 2001 changed the landscape
of security and counter-terrorism for many countries, not least
for the United Kingdom. We have seen a fundamental reordering
of our perception of the world and the threats it poses us, and
the UK now faces a sustained and considerable terrorist threat.
This has, inevitably and rightly, informed our security and counter-terrorism
policies for the best part of a decade, and will continue to do
so for the immediate future.
59. We believe the UK is properly cognisant of
and prepared for the threats it faces, insofar as they are foreseeable.
Already, we have been tested as a nation, most notably on 7 July
2005 but on many other occasions before and after, and, while
many lessons have been learned from each incident, we have not
been found wanting. Moreover, we are satisfied that the departments
and agencies with direct involvement in matters of security, intelligence
and resilience are developing very satisfactorily.
60. The Government's counter-terrorism strategy
is an important component of efforts to make the UK safer, and
we welcome its latest iteration as a vital part of an overall
security strategy. Co-ordination across government in these issues
is very difficult to achieve, and different countries have approached
it in different ways. After a slow start, much has been done to
improve the UK's counter-terrorism structure, most notably the
workings of OSCT and the Counter-Terrorism Units. This is impressive.
We note that there is still much work to be done in these areas
to make the UK's arrangements more efficient and effective.
We are under no illusions that the threats facing
us have lessened significantly, nor that they will lessen in the
immediate future. It has been said that "Eternal vigilance
is the price of liberty". We agree.
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