The Crime Agents

Exclusive: inside Britain’s counter terrorism HQ

Jan 26, 2026
Laurence Taylor, Assistant Commissioner who leads UK Counter-Terrorism Policing, speaks about life inside Britain’s Counterterrorism Operations Centre. He describes the scale of live investigations and recent foiled attacks. He outlines threat types from Islamist and extreme-right to state-linked risks. He also discusses online radicalisation, AI, tech platforms’ responsibilities, and pressures on Prevent and capacity.
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ANECDOTE

Pride In The Role

  • Laurence Taylor describes his new role as the best job in policing and a huge privilege.
  • He praises the police teams and partners he works with across counterterrorism policing.
INSIGHT

ISIS Resurgence Is Ideological

  • ISIS never fully vanished and is resurging through ideology and online ecosystems rather than territory.
  • Taylor warns ambitions to attack the West persist and current trajectory is upward without disruption.
INSIGHT

Lone Actors And Youth Radicalisation

  • Terrorism shifted toward lone actors and youths, complicating blanket surveillance approaches.
  • One in five terrorism arrests now involve children under 17, up from one in 20 a decade ago.
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