{"id":42484,"date":"2018-10-05T12:38:30","date_gmt":"2018-10-05T02:38:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=42484"},"modified":"2018-10-05T12:38:30","modified_gmt":"2018-10-05T02:38:30","slug":"planning-for-the-worst-victorias-new-counterterrorism-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/planning-for-the-worst-victorias-new-counterterrorism-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"Planning for the worst: Victoria\u2019s new counterterrorism strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

Victoria Police\u2019s recent release of its\u00a0new counterterrorism strategy<\/a>\u00a0for the next three years\u00a0was timely.<\/p>\n

There have been seven terrorist attacks and 18 disrupted attacks in Australia since 2005, and\u00a0Melbourne was the target of nearly half of them. Since 2005, police have arrested 41 people over alleged terrorist activity in Victoria, 37 of whom followed Islamism,\u00a0a radical political ideology distinct from Islam as a religion.<\/p>\n

So, does Victoria Police\u2019s new blueprint provide a useful framework to understand how law enforcement should approach counterterrorism in the state?\u00a0Does it assist us in getting ahead of the curve and advancing greater public safety when it comes to home-grown terrorism?<\/p>\n

On balance, I\u2019d argue yes. The themes in the strategy are all pointing in the same, right direction:\u00a0prevention, protection, disruption and response.\u00a0These themes provide a useful checklist to evaluate progress in Victoria\u2019s counterterrorism efforts.<\/p>\n

As set out in the strategy, counterterrorism activities are focused primarily on developing and supporting community\u00a0preventive\u00a0measures, early intervention programs,\u00a0and community rehabilitation and reintegration programs.<\/p>\n

Given that lone-wolf attacks are considered a key threat, it\u2019s sensible that\u00a0the strategy outlines an expanded role for the state\u2019s\u00a0Fixated Threat Assessment Centre<\/a>.\u00a0Included in that expanded role is online training for police to identify early indicators of radicalisation to violence.<\/p>\n

One of the first critical steps to laying out Victoria\u2019s counterterrorism plan is to define key terms. The strategy cuts through a lot of murky arguments here. It states clearly that while there\u2019s a need to scope the full landscape of terrorism threats in Victoria, the main threat is terrorism inspired by Salafi-jihadi ideology.<\/p>\n

But the strategy wisely recognises that police efforts to address Islamist violent extremists will be more effective if they\u2019re not wholly securitised, but rather part of a comprehensive approach that builds trusting partnerships with and within local communities. The term \u2018community integration support\u2019 is used, for example, and not \u2018countering violent extremism\u2019, the latter being the\u00a0catchphrase favoured<\/a>\u00a0by the federal government.<\/p>\n

The strategy correctly notes that it\u2019s not\u00a0always possible to prevent individuals from wanting to engage in acts of terrorism.\u00a0That\u2019s a useful reminder that we could spend ourselves into bankruptcy and still not achieve perfect security.<\/p>\n

The public reasonably expects that the threat of terrorism will be contained and plots will be disrupted. But the strategy is right to note that\u00a0in the event of an act of terrorism in Victoria, an immediate response will be required to mitigate its effects.<\/p>\n

Victoria Police\u2019s strategy is spot on in not putting all its eggs in the detection-and-disruption basket. An equal emphasis must be placed on planning to respond and recover. The kind of response we\u2019ve seen from Londoners in attacks over recent years\u2014not just \u2018keeping calm and carrying on\u2019\u00a0<\/a>but also helping first responders\u2014provides some measure of deterrence to would-be terrorists who\u2019d want us to panic and overreact.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t admitting defeat or neglecting efforts to prevent terrorism: it\u2019s about minimising the costs of terrorism. Noteworthy here is the strategy\u2019s commitment to\u00a0upgrading police social media capability to ensure ongoing communications to Victorians during and after a critical incident.<\/p>\n

The strategy correctly observes that the \u2018nature of the terrorist threat is never static \u2026 terrorists routinely adapt to new technologies, including for operational security and propaganda purposes. It is critical that we also adapt and evolve to meet, and where possible, anticipate these developments.\u2019<\/p>\n

In this context\u00a0it perhaps wasn\u2019t surprising\u00a0that media attention\u00a0focused on\u00a0the remarks<\/a>\u00a0at the launch event by the head of Victoria Police\u2019s Counter-Terrorism Command, Assistant Commissioner Ross Guenther,\u00a0on VicPol\u2019s\u00a0interest in\u00a0using drones with cameras<\/a>\u00a0to monitor crowds for terror threats, discern exit and entry points, and collect information about behaviour.<\/p>\n

Guenther also referred at the\u00a0launch to the need to\u00a0mitigate the threats from drones<\/a> as\u00a0terrorist\u00a0weapons in crowded places.\u00a0That\u2019s sensible: drones can be adapted\u00a0to carry improvised explosive\u00a0devices\u00a0to transform\u00a0them\u00a0into\u00a0flying bombs; they can also\u00a0carry jamming equipment<\/a>\u00a0capable of disrupting the ones used by\u00a0police.<\/p>\n

But overall Victoria Police\u2019s strategy is sound in not focusing on technology. It correctly makes clear that the key is prevention through engagement, with communities\u00a0able to push back against violent Islamist and other forms of extremism.<\/p>\n

Counterterrorism is a complex and dynamic policy area with no quick fixes. There are always some trade-offs and unintended consequences. Fortunately, there is no suggestion in the strategy that counterterrorism is purely a job for law enforcement. It sensibly resists anything that smacks of creating a thought police.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the best approach to countering terrorism is one that protects lives and, one hopes, Australia\u2019s way of life. But we shouldn\u2019t expect the impossible from Victoria Police\u2019s new plan\u2014the strategy doesn\u2019t make Victorians safer just by its release. Even the best strategy is worthless unless it\u2019s well implemented.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Victoria Police\u2019s recent release of its\u00a0new counterterrorism strategy\u00a0for the next three years\u00a0was timely. There have been seven terrorist attacks and 18 disrupted attacks in Australia since 2005, and\u00a0Melbourne was the target of nearly half of …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":42486,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[273,276,988,2308],"class_list":["post-42484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-counterterrorism","tag-extremism","tag-policing","tag-victoria"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPlanning for the worst: Victoria\u2019s new counterterrorism strategy | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/planning-for-the-worst-victorias-new-counterterrorism-strategy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Planning for the worst: Victoria\u2019s new counterterrorism strategy | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Victoria Police\u2019s recent release of its\u00a0new counterterrorism strategy\u00a0for the next three years\u00a0was timely. 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