Britain’s
domestic intelligence service, MI5, has issued a list of top ten tips for
dealing with terrorist threats on a new website for businesses.
This
is the first time the intelligence service has publicly offered this kind of
advice, which is traditionally confined mainly to government.
The
recommendations are divided into ‘General Good Practice’ and ‘Detailed Advice
on Specific Forms of Attack’
MI5’s
Director General, Eliza Manningham-Butler, said: "For the most part
details of our operations must and should remain secret."
"But
stopping terrorists is only one part of our collective defences against
terrorism," she said. "Another part of our work is to use the
knowledge we have about these organisations to provide sensible and practical
advice on how best to protect yourself against these threats."
The
website includes management of threats from staff ‘insiders’, who help
facilitate attacks from outside parties.
The
motivation of disaffected individuals includes personal gain, boredom, revenge
or sympathy with some external cause, the website says. A vulnerable member of
staff could also be coerced or blackmailed; others may be infiltrated from
outside.
The
advice warns that it is important to ensure that any measures taken are
demonstrably proportionate to the perceived risks and that – as far as possible
– staff understand the risks and accept the measures taken to mitigate them.
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The
recommendations are available at www.mi5.gov.uk.
By Michael Millar
