Identity checks plea after Barcelona terror attack
MOTORISTS should be subject to identity checks when hiring vehicles as part of measures to tackle the use of lorries and vans in attacks, a former terror laws watchdog has said.
Lord Carlile of Berriew called for a number of steps after Barcelona became the latest European city hit by the terrorist tactic.
The peer, who was independent reviewer of terrorism legislation from 2001 to 2011, warned it is “all too easy for terrorist events using vehicles to occur”.
He said: “Vehicle hire contracts should be subject to identification checks, and hire company industry bodies should be subject to a code of practice to protect against vehicle hire to criminals of all kinds, to be negotiated and agreed with Government within a very short period of time.”
Under the proposed regime, hire firms would be required to carry out “standard checks” and report any concerns or anomalies, he said.
Lord Carlile also recommended that local planning authorities should be obliged to ensure that appropriate barriers exist to protect pedestrianised areas.
The calls came as hundreds of people marched through the heart of Barcelona in a defiant show of solidarity against Thursday’s devastating attacks.
The city quickly attempted to return to normality yesterday morning, just hours after twin terror attacks killed 14 and injured dozens of others when two vehicles ploughed into pedestrians on the central thoroughfare of Las Ramblas, and the nearby seaside town of Cambrils.
Crowds gathered for a minute’s silence in the Placa de Catalunya at noon, before parading down Las Ramblas’ tree-lined walkways nearby.