British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced on Thursday the creation of a new national security department to fight terrorism as part of a radical overhaul of the beleaguered Interior Ministry.
Under the plan announced by Blair in a written statement to Parliament, the ministry known as the Home Office will be split into two departments: one for national security and the other for the justice system.
”The changes set out here are aimed at producing a step change in our approach to managing the terrorist threat to the United Kingdom and winning the battle for hearts and minds,” Blair said.
Britain has intensified efforts to counter terrorism since July 7 2005, when four Islamist suicide bombers blew themselves up on three London Underground trains and a bus, killing themselves and 52 commuters.
The changes have also been driven by scandals in the criminal justice system.
Home Secretary John Reid, the no-nonsense Blair ally tasked with reforming the unwieldy ministry since he was appointed to the job more than a year ago, said Britain was keeping step with the times.
He said Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett would retain control of Britain’s overseas intelligence service MI6, while Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly would retain her responsibilities for community cohesion, which includes ties with the minority Muslim community.
David Davis, the senior Conservative MP who is shadow home secretary, told MPs that breaking up the Home Office will create a new set of problems.
He claimed the overhaul ”will leave public security undermined and a justice system overwhelmed”, adding that officials would be ”distracted” by the changes rather than focusing on fighting terror, overflowing prisons and immigration.
The Home Office has been in turmoil this year after it emerged that an alleged oversight led to hundreds of files on serious criminals convicted of offences in Europe not being entered on police computer records. — AFP
