We recently held our September 2026 quarterly meeting alongside the London Communities Emergencies Partnership. This time, we had members of the Met Police join us to talk about counter-terrorism and the valuable role of faith and community groups in combatting terrorism in London.
The meeting started with presentations from Counter Terrorism Policing, with Chief Superintendent Kris Wright providing a strategic overview of the current threat environment and Sam Milsom (presenting as part of the Counter Terrorism Protect team) translating that overview into practical guidance for organisations and communities.
Kris Wright: The Evolving Threat Landscape and the Importance of Community Partnerships
Kris Wright opened by emphasising that protecting London from terrorism and wider national security threats is fundamentally a partnership effort. While Counter Terrorism Policing has responsibility for preparedness, security, border controls and specialist response functions, he stressed that trusted community organisations are essential because they have relationships and credibility within communities that law enforcement alone cannot achieve.
Wright described the current environment as the most complex he had experienced in his counter-terrorism career. He explained that policing is managing hundreds of national counter-terrorism investigations alongside a growing number of national security cases involving hostile state activity, espionage and overseas actors operating within the UK.
A key message was the recent increase in the national threat level from “substantial” to “severe,” meaning that an attack is now considered “very likely” rather than merely “likely.” He explained that this decision was not triggered by any single event but reflected the cumulative effect of a broad and increasingly complex threat picture.
Wright highlighted several factors driving concern:
- International conflicts and geopolitical tensions increasingly have direct consequences for communities in London.
- Faith communities continue to face heightened risks, particularly through rising antisemitism and Islamophobia.
- Social cohesion is under pressure from polarisation and hateful online content.
- The distinction between hate crime, extremism and terrorism has become increasingly blurred.
- A growing number of individuals are motivated not by ideology but by money, status or influence, creating new forms of “crime-for-hire” that can support hostile actors and national security threats.
Throughout his presentation, Wright repeatedly returned to the theme of community resilience. He argued that information shared by communities provides an essential layer of intelligence and understanding that helps authorities assess risks and respond effectively while avoiding unintended harm to the communities they serve.
He urged participants to:
- Trust their instincts and report concerns early.
- Challenge hatred and divisive behaviour.
- Act as trusted voices within their communities.
- Strengthen preparedness and resilience planning.
Wright also spent significant time discussing organisational preparedness. He encouraged groups to think systematically about:
- Their likely threats and vulnerabilities.
- Measures that can reduce risk.
- Plans for maintaining critical functions during an incident.
- Clear role allocation during emergencies.
- Regular exercising and testing of plans.
- Dependencies on technology and communications systems.
Drawing on lessons from COVID-19, he noted that organisations should not rely exclusively on digital infrastructure and should consider simple, resilient alternatives if technology fails.
He concluded by warning that the threat picture remains serious and continues to evolve, encompassing terrorism, extremism, hostile state activity, online harms and technology-enabled criminality. Despite these challenges, he argued that London’s greatest strength remains the resilience of its communities and the partnerships built between public agencies, voluntary organisations and faith groups.
Sam Milsom: Practical Security Awareness and Protective Measures
Following Wright’s strategic overview, Sam Milsom provided a more operational and practical presentation aimed at helping organisations recognise risks and improve security awareness.
Milsom began by explaining the different sources of terrorist threat that inform national threat assessments, including Islamist terrorism, extreme right-wing terrorism, Northern Ireland-related terrorism and extreme left-wing or single-issue extremism.
He then outlined the broad range of attack methods that organisations should be aware of, including:
- Bladed weapons and marauding attackers.
- Vehicle attacks.
- Fire and incendiary devices.
- Improvised explosive devices.
- Chemical, biological or radiological threats.
- Cyber attacks.
- Emerging drone-related risks.
A major focus of his presentation was hostile reconnaissance, the process by which offenders gather information before conducting an attack. Milsom explained that most reconnaissance begins online, where publicly available information can reveal valuable details about a site’s operations, security arrangements, staffing levels and peak occupancy periods.
He demonstrated how attackers can exploit:
- Mapping and satellite imagery.
- Street View and virtual site inspections.
- Publicly available business information.
- Social media activity.
- Popularity and occupancy data available online.
Milsom also highlighted the risk posed by insider threats, whether through deliberate infiltration or through employees unintentionally disclosing sensitive information.
He encouraged organisations to pay close attention to seemingly minor security weaknesses, including:
- Poorly maintained CCTV systems.
- Tailgating through secure entrances.
- Visible security codes.
- Staff displaying identification cards in public.
- Casual sharing of operational details.
Throughout the presentation he emphasised vigilance, reminding participants that attackers often look for opportunities created by complacency rather than sophisticated technical weaknesses.
Milsom also provided practical reporting routes for suspicious activity, including:
- Emergency reporting through 999.
- SMS Relay UK registration for situations where speaking may not be safe.
- Non-emergency reporting through 101.
- Online reporting routes.
- The Anti-Terrorism Hotline.
- Resources available through ACT and ProtectUK.
His presentation concluded with a short demonstration highlighting the risks associated with oversharing personal information online and the ease with which individuals can piece together information from public sources.
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