City Security magazine interviews Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick, QPM, Metropolitan Police, Specialist Operations Directorate
In the event of a major counter terrorist incident, the senior police officer the Home Secretary turns to is Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick.
In her capacity as head of counter terrorism for the Met and Chair of ACPO Terrorism Policing, she is the chief officer who advises government on terrorism- related affairs. Indeed much of her time is spent at Whitehall and Westminster.
I
n terms of international terrorism, AC Dick is clear about the
challenges that face her, “Currently there is a threat picture which is complex and unpredictable”. She continues,“The supporters of Al- Qaeda and those who are inspired by it come from a range of different countries. It is a very pervasive brand and is having a big impact across the world.”
With the overriding priority of preventing a terrorist attack, AC Dick’s
approach is that “we must maintain a national, powerful, interoperable, counter terrorism capability across policing. It is now not unusual for officers from all over the UK to come together in joint operations. I want to ensure that these officers are consistently trained and equipped to take advantage of all modern advances”.
At home too, a key priority is to identify those people who are vulnerable to radicalisation and violent extremism,“There is a tendency now for individuals operating alone or in small groups.”
However, AC Dick believes we will “see less of the big spectacular, less command and control. Unfortunately, these simpler methods can still have a devastating effect”.
AC Dick is frank that these lone operators are a challenge to detect and therefore law enforcement is increasingly reliant on people coming forward with their concerns. “Our aim in 2014 is to further open up counter terrorism policing to the community. They need to feel confident that they can come forward.” In addition, she wants to encourage organisations, such as education, social services and health, to further develop working in partnership with the police.
“Engaging with the community is fundamental to our work.”
In fact, AC Dick is an advocate for close liaison with all parts of the community, including business. “The way in which businesses can communicate with each other means they can provide police and other law enforcement agencies with information, they can be our eyes and ears. The business
16 © CI TY S ECURI TY MAGAZ INE – WINT E R 2014
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