The Role of Governments and Law Enforcement in Preventing Terrorism

Since this threat has never been so strong, France is taking action at every level with its international partners to combat terrorist networks in France and abroad.

Role of Governments & Enforcement of Law:

In the post 9/11 world, the threat that terrorism poses has gained an international character. All the nations have seemed to realise the increased vulnerability that has been created to their security system.

In such a scenario, the national governments have been pushed to take a front step in order to prevent the ever-looming danger of terrorist activities from growing beyond.

Laws:

Various laws and Acts have been passed by the Government to combat terrorism. Often these laws have been a matter of debate and controversy. Some of these legislative measures that have existed or exist today, are:

Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967:

The UAPA of 1967 allows the law enforcement agencies to act against individuals as well as organisations engaged in unlawful activities, inclusive of terrorism.

Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, 1987:

The TADA act provides stringent measures that deal specifically with terrorism. The act, surrounded by much controversy, ultimately lapsed in 1995.

Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002:

As terrorism increased, another law POTA, 2002 was passed. This provided law enforcement agencies with even more extensive powers. It was repealed in 2004 by UPA after concerns were raised regarding human rights violations.

The National Investigation Agency Act, 2008:

The NIA was established in 2008 to allow the setup of NIA at the central level that deals with counter terrorism activities.

The Anti-Hijacking Act, 2016:

Recently, the Anti-Hijacking Act was passed to prevent the hijack of aircraft.

Intelligence gathering is a manifestation of such an attempt on the government’s part to prevent the spread of terrorism in their territory.

The sophisticated technologies have made it possible to track and monitor any suspicious activity and this has saved innumerable tragic events from taking place. Yet, one cannot ignore that similar upgraded technologies are used by the terrorist camps to unleash their agendas.

Various measures are taken by the national governments to counter terrorism. This includes creating a rigid security environment, constant monitoring, or heightening security at public places & events. Strict procedures are undertaken to ensure there is no transportation of any threatening material from one place to another. These procedures are only necessary but not enough in themselves alone.

Taking determined military action:

In recent years, several terrorist groups have sought to broaden their regional hold in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Africa. Terrorist safe havens are a threat to the international community. They are hotbeds of terror and oppression for local populations and centres for disseminating murderous ideology. It is from these havens that many terrorist attacks targeting local populations and foreign countries have been planned and organized.

France is combating terrorism on all fronts:

The Sahel:

Present in the Sahel since 2013 (Operation Serval in Mali), France has played a leading role in blocking the advancement of terrorist groups in the region.

French troops participating in Operation Barkhane provide vital assistance to the G5 Sahel countries.

(Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad) in their action to fight terrorism.

Syria and Iraq:

France has joined forces with the Global Coalition against Daesh in August 2014, launching Operation Chammal to support Iraqi authorities engaged in fighting the terrorist group. In September 2015, faced with the terrorist threat in France, the scope of action of Operation Chammal was extended to include Syria in order to destroy Daesh’s regional hold in the country.

The Role of Governments and Law Enforcement in Preventing Terrorism,The Role of Governments and Law Enforcement in Preventing Terrorism,The Role of Governments and Law Enforcement in Preventing Terrorism