Guarding ‘targets’ a bewildering task

Press, 28 August 1978, Page 9

Guarding ‘targets’ a bewildering task

By

STEWART TENDLER

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I “The Times” (through NZPA) London One of the training exercises for members of the British Army Special Air Services involves protecting a V.I.P. as he leaves his car and enters a building. In ideal circumstances 12 trained men are required for this apparently simple, swift manoeuvre. , I Multiply that manpower ;by the number of potential terrorist targets in London ! going about their normal lives each day and the size of the problem facing the; I police, now facing criticism , i after the El Al attack last ’week, begins to take shape. Add to this the targets no-’ one has taken into account, for example minor political exiles and warring factions, and the problem grows even’ larger. To get a complete picture compare this infinite sum with the fact that London will have more than 8,000,000 foreign visitors this year and every three days a thousand Arabs arrive in London for business, pleasure, or something more ’ sinister. While the London metropolitan police, perennially short of manpower, cannot match the S.A.S. requirements, they have in recent ' years attempted to give protection where possible. Vis- ’ iting political leaders and ; statesmen are guarded by police Special Branch whose armed officers remain close ■ night and day.

Routes the visitors travel are vetted and the journeys

accompanied by carloads of detectives in continuous radio contact. Such V.I.P.s bring their own security men with them — in the case of the Americans, at times a miniature army — but all weapons are handed over before the security men land and no exceptions are made.

Once the V.I.P. has landed British police take full responsibility for his safety until he has left the country.

Protection is also given to J permanent representatives of | £ countries where it is thought; attacks might be launcheci' j against embassies or am-'• bassadors. The embassies, of ■ 1 'countries like the. United'] States, Russia, and Israel have police guards outside 1 24 hours a day. In 1974 the police in1 troduced the pro- . itection group which began , patrolling embassies in central London with six units. Now there are eight units. ' As the threat of violence has increased protection has been widened in some cases. Aircraft which could be vulnerable to attack are given guards at airports, and in London the offices of El Al, | I the Israeli national airline,' i now also has a guard. But the police are faced iwit limitations on the num-j iber of men they can field. Said Hammami. the London 'representative of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation. had no police guard when he was killed in January. Nor apparently did! .the Iraqi Embassy when it' was attacked a few weeks' ago. i If protection cannot be

given what can the police do! to prevent the terrorist getting into Britain — and getting arms? All airports and seaports are watched by the Special Branch, but given the number of travellers it must at times seem like looking for a needle in a ‘haystack. The Special Branch now; uses an intelligence collection stored at New Scotland! ‘Yard. It handles thousands! ;of inquiries about travellers : :suspected of being terrorists! ior connected with terrorist ‘ ‘activities.

But if the terrorist eludes this net he can easily disappear into the tourist centres of London without sus- ■ picion. It took Scotland Yard’s considerable skill and effort to break into the Chinese heroin trade in London, and the microcosmic Arab world growing up in London will require just as much work.

As far as weapons are concerned, the sort of material required by the terror, ist is usually in very short supply in the underworld and much of it is imported. There has long been suspicion about diplomatic luggage but there are also questions about freight container ■traffic which is sealed be- ■ tween its point of departure and arrival without inspection. , In the present wave of ■violence. Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist squad has managed to capture a number of people involved in attacks, but when they have managed to get clear they have often vanished without trace. At times they have found it as easy to get out a to get into Britain.