More than 200 people were arrested for terrorism-related activity in Great Britain in 2023/2024, the latest figures have revealed – up 23 percent compared with the previous year.
Additionally, as of the end of March, there were almost 250 people in custody for terror offences – a historical high.
However, there was better news for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, with the quarterly figure down by 38 percent compared with October to December of 2023.
The Home Office data, published today, shows there were 212 arrests in the year ending March 31, 2024, an increase of 40.
The rise also represents an eight-percent spike of the latest five-year median (196) but is below the historical median number of arrests (273).
There were 46 arrests between January and March of this year compared with 74 in the previous quarter.
Of the 212 arrested, 44 percent were aged 30 and over, while 19 percent were aged 17 and under. In total, 68 (32 percent) were charged, of which 62 related to terror offences.
A further 91 (43 percent) were bailed to return and released under investigation, 40 (19 percent) were released without charge, 12 (six percent) faced alternative action such as a caution or being recalled to prison, and in one case, a decision is pending.
As of March 31, 2024, there were 246 persons in custody for terrorism-connected offences in Great Britain, the joint highest number since comparable records began (September 30, 2020).
Of those in custody, the majority (63 percent) were categorised as holding Islamist-extremist views; a further 28 percent were categorised as holding extreme right-wing ideologies and a further nine percent were categorised as holding “other ideologies”.
Decisions regarding arrest are an operational matter for police, and as such there are numerous factors which may combine to increase or decrease the numbers – for instance, an arrest operation involving a high number of individuals could cause a large spike in the data.
The UK National Threat Level, set by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC), the UK’s independent centre for analysis and assessment, is currently at SUBSTANTIAL, meaning an attack is likely.
JTAC considers all relevant intelligence and information to produce an assessment of the threat from terrorism in the UK and overseas and the threat to the UK (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) from terrorism.
