
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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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.
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.
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.
