http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-5939395,00.html New terror alert system for Britain
Press Association Sunday July 9, 2006 9:03 AM A new system to alert the public over threats from al Qaida and other terror groups is to be introduced in Britain. Although the Home Office will not reveal details of how it will operate, it is understood that the new system will be simpler than the one it will replace. Home Secretary John Reid is set to unveil the changes as part of a package of announcements early next week. The Sunday Telegraph and Sunday Times reported that warnings are to be published on the websites of the Home Office and MI5. The Sunday Telegraph added that they will be divided into five separate levels, although not colour-coded as they are in the US. America's Department of Homeland Security operates a five-level public warning system with colour-based alerts ranging from green to red, the highest state of alert. The UK currently has a seven-tier system, based on descriptions of threats such as "substantial", which are not published. In May, the cross-party Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) called for a more transparent threat level and alert system in the UK in its report on the July 7 bombings. The committee highlighted how the threat level had been reduced from "severe general" to "substantial" prior to London attacks, but said that the decision was "not unreasonable" on the basis of the intelligence available. It said: "The aim is to bring clarity to both security practitioners and the general public without causing alarm." Three separate documents dealing with terrorism are expected to be unveiled by the Government next week. As well as dealing with the threat level system, Reid is expected to publish a wide-ranging summary of the Government's long-term terrorism strategy, code-named Contest. The announcement is expected to set out efforts to prevent terrorism, pursue terrorists, protect the public and prepare for the possibility of terrorist attacks. A third document is also set to be published by the Department for Communities and Local Government on preventing extremism. Meanwhile the Sunday Times also reported that the Government's ID cards scheme was set to fail, according to leaked Whitehall e-mails. One official warned of a "botched operation" that could put back the introduction of ID cards for a generation, rather than its planned launch in 2008. Another official admitted he was planning Home Office strategy around the possibility that the scheme could be "canned completely". [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> See what's inside the new Yahoo! Groups email. http://us.click.yahoo.com/2pRQfA/bOaOAA/yQLSAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
