Archived Edition: May 04, 2004 | Back to Current	Jul 31, 2010

British detective discusses role of terrorism in Gaudino forum
Alexis Chernak - FORMER EDITOR

Lindsay Clutterbuck, detective chief inspector in London’s metropolitan police service, spoke last Wednesday in a Gaudino forum. In his lecture, “Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism: A View from the United Kingdom,” Clutterbuck discussed the development of the British police force as a means to counter international terrorism.

Clutterbuck began the lecture by arguing that while commonly perceived as a problem of the 21st century, international terrorism has a long history. According to Clutterbuck, internal terrorism first began on the British mainland at the start of the 19th century, and the first case of international terrorism on the British mainland dates back to the 1880s. At this time, Irish nationalists were using explosives on the British mainland and then hiding in the United States.

While terrorism was spreading, the British authorities set in motion the first British counterterrorist movement by relying on the police force and “putting into place a structure that is still useful today.”

The British force was in existence at the turn of the 19th century, but struggled for some time during the century to organize itself against internal and international terrorism. Originally the police force comprised of a small collection of ineffective officers, and it was not until 1796 that the City of Westminster attempted to improve the police force, replacing all of the existing officers and agreeing to use tax dollars to pay them.

In 1829, London established its own uniformed police force, which was charged to only protect and patrol the streets of London. Within two years of its formation, however, about 2000 of the 2800 officers were dismissed. The most frequent charge was drunkenness on duty.

About 10 years after this embarrassing affair, any city or town in Britain could set up a police force. Some years later came the creation of the British detective department, which not only sought to prevent crime but also to seek out criminals. The House of Commons eventually approved of the use of detectives to fight crime, but also set the first limits on undercover policing. The government authorized the secrecy of detective operations but forbid the use of false identification while on the job.

The British government came to increasingly rely on these detectives in the late 1840s as the country received an influx of French, Polish, German and Italian refugees escaping turmoil on the European continent. The detectives closely watched for any sign of revolutionary uprisings from this sector.

The detectives’ attentions then quickly turned away from the revolutionists to the Irish nationalists in the 1850s and 1860s. During this time, it was crucial that detectives work closely with the metropolitan police force in order to coordinate operational responses with intelligence reports.

Following the first reports of international terrorism in the 1880’s, the British police force sought to expand its reach, asking the United States for assistance in locating terrorists hiding in the country. With little help from the Americans, the British set up a detective agency in the United States to gather information on terrorists.

As counterterrorism techniques improved, so did terrorist technology. The invention of dynamite, which had a delayed fuse, allowed terrorists to stage campaigns. “Terrorists began to control targeting, the time of attacks and the tempo of attacks,” said Clutterbuck.

To counter the new technology, the police introduced a policy of regular stops and searches of people on the city streets and the ports. The police force also developed the first physical surveillance system and hired informants to uncover plots.

Entering the 20th century, the police force was highly advanced, having set in place many of the systems currently used to combat terrorism. According to Clutterbuck, however, the best development in the fight against terrorism came in 1987 with the creation of the Special Branch, which serves as a liaison between the law enforcement and the intellectual world.

Clutterbuck strongly believes that law enforcement needs to play an integral part in counterterrorism, as it has in the past. For this reason, he foresees the Special Branch as being an essential element in the prevention of future terrorism.

This Gaudino forum was one of the final forums of the academic year and concluded the term of Robert Jackall, professor of sociology, as Gaudino Scholar. Since his term began in 2001, his forums have focused on 9/11 and modern-day terrorism. As he explained over the course of his term, he “has especially brought to campus men and women of affairs who grapple daily with issues such as financing terrorism, prosecuting terrorists, gathering intelligence and guarding our great cities, our country and the world.”