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The Prosser Perspective.... a weekly column from Dover and Deal MP Gwyn Prosser

5 June 2008

There's been an enormous amount of debate and discussion in Westminster about the Counter-Terrorism Bill but when I'm knocking on doors in Dover and Deal or meeting constituents at my street stalls and surgeries – the subject is rarely raised.

People are very concerned about the terrorist threat of course and no one will ever forget the terrible loss of life caused by the attack on the Twin Towers in New York and the tube bombing in London “ but hardly anyone has expressed opposition to detaining terrorist suspects for up to 42 days.

My Home Affairs Select Committee has scrutinised this issue on two occasions and we've taken evidence from a whole array of experts whose opinions varied from firm support to hostile opposition. Some objectors argue that the threat of terrorism has been with us for scores of years so why have we suddenly sought additional powers. It's because today's threats are totally different in their scale and nature from anything we have faced before and the time will soon come when we will need reserve powers to detain terrorist suspects beyond 28 days. But there have to be safeguards of course and that’s why the reserve powers will have to be approved by Parliament and overseen by the judiciary.

Our Committee was told by the Head of MI5 that there are more than 2,000 terrorist suspects, 200 networks and some 30 active plots“ all aiming to inflict death and carnage on the maximum number of victims in this country. This is very different from any threat we've faced before.

And we've been told about the massive scale and sheer complexity of unravelling today's terrorist plots. In the 2006 alleged airline bomb plot, the police had to check 400 computers, 8,000 disks and more than 25,000 other bits of material evidence. The modern day terrorist works globally, he has sophisticated international networks and operates under multiple false identities.

These might be reasons enough for the police to ask Government to give them additional time to continue their investigations and bring charges but there is a far more important reason for the extension of detention. When the intelligence indicates the likelihood of an imminent terrorist attack early arrests must be made a means of disrupting the plot and protecting the public from harm and it's inevitable that these early arrests will entail longer detention before sufficient evidence is available to bring charges.

This preventative element of detention is often ignored in the 42 day controversy but in my view it is one of the most important elements of the debate as it provides the police with another important tool for their armoury.

It's not just the police who are pressing for more time. The independent reviewer, Lord Carlile accepts the need for reserve powers and this week, Peter Clarke the former head of Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command signalled his support when he said there will "undoubtedly" come a time when extreme circumstances will warrant longer detention.

I agree with them - and that's why I'll be voting for the Bill.