The UK on Friday launched a new counterterrorism strategy, reaffirming its commitment to combat counterterrorism and work with partners to tackle this enduring and evolving threat.
According to a statement by the British High Commission Abuja, “the aim of CONTEST, the UK’s counterterrorism strategy, is to reduce the risk from terrorism to the UK, its citizens and interests overseas, so that people can go about their lives freely and with confidence.
“The UK Home Office officials conducted a comprehensive review of evidence on the terrorist threat and of the UK’s strategic response to inform this revised strategy.
“The latest version of the CONTEST framework empowers UK government departments, devolved administrations, local authorities, frontline emergency services, intelligence agencies, and other partners, to work together to counter terrorism. Our global allies, and independent experts, recognise the core CONTEST Framework – Prevent, Pursue, Protect and Prepare – as world leading.
“The UK continues to work with partners and colleagues in Nigeria to foster greater collaboration, share learning, and deliver together against a common threat.”
Speaking at the CONTEST launch event held in Abuja, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery said: “A terrorist threat can emerge suddenly and grow rapidly. To enable us to respond, we must systematically build on our counterterrorism partnerships.
“The UK is looking to increase its diplomatic and political interventions in support of our CT objectives wherever we can, both to support operational activity, and to support our key partners.
“That’s why I was delighted to host partners and colleagues of this community, to share the UKs CONTEST strategy, as a way to bring people together to build stronger relationships and explore opportunities for collaboration.”
The statement added that “since the last version of CONTEST in 2018, concerted counterterrorism efforts by the UK and key allies have largely been successful in driving down risk by suppressing the most serious terrorist threats. This has enabled a rebalancing of finite national security resource into other areas of threat.
“However, the threat from terrorism is enduring and evolving. Despite a prevalence of lower sophistication attacks in the UK, the threat we see today and in the coming years, is more diverse, dynamic and complex:
· a domestic terrorist threat which is less predictable, harder to detect and investigate
· a persistent and evolving threat from Islamist terrorist groups overseas
· an operating environment where accelerating advances in technology provide both opportunity and risk to our counter-terrorism efforts.”
