Key parts of CTP
Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) is an alliance of UK police forces working with UKIC to protect the public from terrorism. Around the UK, there are 11 regional counter-terrorism units (CTUS) and intelligence units. Officers and staff work in a range of specialist fields, such as investigations, digital exploitation, financial inquiries, community liaison and communications.
Within CTP, there are several organisations with key roles in relation to ERWT:
- The Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters (CTPHQ) sits at the centre of the network that heads up policy and strategy, co-ordinates national programmes, and acts as a single point of contact and co-ordination for CTP.
- The National Operations Centre (NOC) is a part of CTPHQ—it is a central command comprising units that provide operational support to the national network.[1]
- On 1 April 2020, a Strategic Intelligence and Briefing Unit was set up at the National Police Coordination Centre (NPOCC). These functions were previously based at CTPHQ.[2]
206. In consultation with the Strategic Intelligence and Briefing Unit, CTP has developed a 'Terminology and Thresholds Matrix' to ensure CTP is able to use its resources appropriately to identify and manage counter-terror related threats. The matrix was launched in September 2020, and sets out language and thresholds to delineate between the types of ideology and activity that formerly fell under the term 'Domestic Extremism'. Crucially, it will allow CTP and National Police Coordination Centre (NPOCC) stakeholders to draw clear distinctions between what does and does not meet the threshold for relevance to CTP.[3] The Head of CTP explained that the matrix "assesses the ideological outcome against the activity, and that is the matrix which decides where on that threat matrix the target exists and therefore who needs to deal with it".[4]
- ↑ www.counterterrorism.police.uk/our-network/
- ↑ As part of the transition, in April 2020 CTPHQ Intelligence ceased operating two specific functions:
- The National Joint Assessment Team (NJAT): the NJAT previously jointly assessed leads with CTP regional branches to ensure national consistency and delivery for ERWT. This has now been disbanded in order to ensure an agnostic approach to the Intelligence Handling Model (IHM), regardless of ideology. The IHM assessments are now undertaken by CTP and MI5 regional counterparts. (More information on the Intelligence Handling Model can be found later in this section.)
- The Potential Lone Actor Desk (PLAD): the PLAD consisted of a small team of officers, detectives and behavioural experts. The behavioural experts were a combination of research psychologists, clinical psychologists, and clinical psychiatrists with specialisms in autism spectrum disorders. This team assisted with providing lone actor assessments on SOIS featuring in leads and priority investigations. MI5 advised that the PLAD was not transferred to MI5 as the majority of their activity on ERWT focuses on Lone Actor detection.
- ↑ Written evidence - CTP, 2 June 2021.
- ↑ Oral evidence - CTP, 29 April 2021.
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