Terrorrelated arrests in Great Britain hit record high

LONDON: Terrorrelated arrests in the UK have surged to a record high as security services confront an unprecedented threat, new figures reveal.

There were 379 arrests for terrorismrelated offences in Great Britain in the year ending June 2017, a rate of more than one a day and the highest number in a year since data collection began in 2001.

The tally includes dozens of individuals held in swoops in the wake of attacks in London and Manchester.

Arrests jumped by 68% year on year, with the increase partly driven by activity mounted amid a flurry of terrorist incidents between March 22 and June 19.

The 379 total includes 57 arrests made in connection with the Westminster (12 arrests), Manchester (23 arrests), London Bridge (21 arrests) and Finsbury Park (one arrest) attacks.

The Home Office data also reveals that 54 female terror suspects were arrested in the year to June. At 14% of the total, this was the largest proportion on record.

There were increases in the number of arrests across all age groups compared with the previous year. Seventeen of those held were aged under 18, which is the highest number for any JuneJuly period in the current data series.

There were also rises in the number of arrests across all eth nic groups, including a particularly sharp jump of 92%, from 66 to 127, in the number of white suspects detained. It means the white ethnicity group accounted for a third (34%) of all terrorrelated arrests over the year.

The number of individuals arrested for suspected international terrorism jumped by 60%, from 184 to 294 compared with the previous year, and accounted for more than three quarters of all the arrests.