Rishi Sunak: Chancellor of the Exchequer set to announce millions for counter-terrorism unit

Intelligence agencies and senior police officers will be brought together in a new "world-leading" counter-terrorism operations centre to disrupt threats, the Chancellor is set to announce.

Rishi Sunak is expected to commit tens of millions of pounds in the Spending Review this week to the project which ministers hope will be operational within five years.

Counter-terrorism police, intelligence agencies and the criminal justice system will be united under the proposal to co-ordinate expertise and resources in a state-of-the-art facility.

Photo credit : Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

It is hoped that the Counter Terrorism Operations Centre will enable the UK to respond more quickly and effectively to terror threats, as well as combating hostile state activity and organised crime.

Mr Sunak said: "Our police and intelligence agencies do an extraordinary job every day to protect us all from terrorist activity.

"Bringing these partners together to form a world-leading operations centre will enable them to work more collaboratively to disrupt threats - allowing the Government to deliver on its first and foremost duty to keep the public safe."

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: "We owe a huge debt of gratitude to our police, intelligence agencies and criminal justice system who work tirelessly every single day to keep us safe from terrorism.

"This world-leading new centre will fully integrate their wealth of knowledge and expertise to ensure that we are responding to the range of threats this nation faces as quickly and effectively as possible."

The plans were drawn up in the wake of MI5 and police reviews carried out after the terror attacks in London and Manchester in 2017.

Former terror laws watchdog Lord Anderson found that the police and security services should improve their collaboration and share intelligence more widely.

A spokesman for Counter Terrorism Policing said: "Close collaboration between our law enforcement, intelligence and wider partners has always been at the heart of what we do, and this project will only improve that relationship - accelerating the UK's ongoing mission to get ahead of the terrorist threat and keep the country safe."

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