The number of people arrested over terrorism-related offences in Britain has risen by 54% to 400 in one of the most intense periods for attacks in recent history.
The Home Office said the increase in the year to September was due partly to the 64 arrests made after the attacks in London and Manchester, bringing the total to the highest number since records began in 2001.
The figures reflect the growing threat from Islamist terrorism in Britain. The director general of MI5, Andrew Parker, spoke in October of “a dramatic upshift in the threat this year” to “the highest tempo I’ve seen in my 34-year career”.
The figures show 12 people were arrested for the Westminster Bridge attack, 23 for Manchester Arena, 21 for London Bridge, one for Finsbury Park mosque and seven in connection with Parsons Green.
The quarterly Home Office bulletin on police use of counter-terrorism powers shows that so far, 115 of the 400 people arrested have been charged, 213 were released without charge and 60 released on bail pending further investigation. The remainder faced alternative action.
In the 12 months to September, the terrorism-related trials of 78 people were completed, an increase of 16% on the previous year, with 69 convicted and nine acquitted.
The number of terrorist prisoners in British jails has also risen in the past year to 213, of whom 88% (187) have Islamist extremist views. A further 8% (16) are categorised as holding “rightwing ideologies”.
The statistics show the Metropolitan police are making increasing use of counter-terrorism stop and search powers, with the number of stops up by 27% to 726.
The bulletin reveals that section 47a counter-terrorism stop and search powers were authorised for use after the Parsons Green attack in September for the first time since the threshold for their deployment was raised in 2011. The powers allow police to stop and search people without the need for reasonable suspicion that they are involved in terrorism.
However, the use of controversial schedule 7 powers to stop and examine people entering and leaving the UK fell by 22% to 16,919 examinations, continuing a long-term downward trend.
The reduced use of schedule 7 powers compares with the 61,711 people examined under it in 2011. Over the past six years, there has been an average year-on-year fall of 23% in the use of these powers.
The security minister, Ben Wallace, said: “The police and security services have been clear that we are facing a shift rather than a short-term spike in the terrorist threat.
“The statistics we are publishing today demonstrate the breadth of work that they undertake, alongside the rest of the criminal justice system, day in and day out to keep us safe.
“But this is not the totality of our work. The whole of society must come together to challenge the terrorist threat. The public must remain alert but not alarmed, and report any suspicions they have about unusual activity or behaviour to the appropriate authorities.
“Furthermore, the government is reviewing its counter-terrorism strategy in light of recent attacks to ensure we meet the threat from terrorism now and in the future.”
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