Counter Terrorism Operations Centre unveiled

Published date: 29 Jun 2021

On 28 June 2021, MI5 Director General Ken McCallum, alongside the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, accompanied the Home Secretary and the Mayor of London on a visit to the first completed section of the new Counter Terrorism Operations Centre (CTOC). 

The Home Secretary and the Mayor were shown the cutting-edge counter terrorism operations suite, which is now fully operational, and a dedicated, state-of-the-art counter terrorism forensics laboratory, which will follow soon.

Speaking as part of the visit, Ken McCallum said: 

“Finding concealed threats is a difficult job. We’re always looking for ways to shave the odds in our favour. We know our chances of success are better when we combine the knowledge and the skills of experts from different organisations, fighting terrorism as a single team. CTOC is a massive next step on that journey – a world first."

The development of the CTOC was born out of a series of terrorist attacks in 2017 and a subsequent Operational Improvement Review, which highlighted the need to further develop our counter terrorism response to ensure it continues to adapt to an evolving threat.

The CTOC will be a new part of the overall UK counter terrorism response – bringing together, for the first time, all of the London-based elements of Counter Terrorism Policing, the intelligence agencies, and the criminal justice system, as well as other government agencies focused on tackling the threat from terrorism.