What makes a terrorist? Interview with head of West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit

Or, perhaps more pertinently, what makes a terrorist?

It is a question even the West Midlands' top anti-terror boss struggles with.

"It is the million dollar question," says Chief Superintendent Matthew Ward.

"If we fully knew that we would solve the problem," he adds.

The former Sandwell Commander and Wolverhampton detective now heads West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit – part of the national anti-terrorism network which serves the heart of the country. And it is one of the busiest with nearly a fifth of all Islamist terrorists in Britain linked to this region.

"I don't think there is a particular characteristic," he continues.

"Just look at the range of people who travelled or tried to travel to Syria to join Daesh."

Daesh is the derogatory Arabic term preferred by world leaders, the police and security services to describe the so-called Islamic State terror group also known as ISIS.

Language is important in the war on terror.

"They have come from all sorts of different backgrounds," said Ch Supt Ward.

"Males, females, young, old, highly educated, not educated, some unemployed, some employed – they can all be radicalised by a way of thinking.

"It is hard to say there is a set of criteria to say one person is more likely to be radicalised than someone else.

"There is no stereotype for what makes a terrorist."

And he is keen to emphasise the point that terrorism extends further than just Islamic fundamentalism.

"The last terrorist attack in Birmingham and the Black Country was the murder of Mohammed Saleem and mosque bombings by a far-right wing terrorist.

"Every community is at risk, every community is threatened."

He points to the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox last year as another form of terrorism police forces are trying to combat.

"Whether it is international terrorism or domestic extremism, our communities are vulnerable to the same issues," he said.

"The reality is that a terrorist attack on another part of the country or the world has profound implications elsewhere. That is the nature of terrorism."

Interviews with anti-terror police are rare.

But this week they are all at it – promoting the national ACT – Action Counters Terrorism – campaign to urge more people to tell police if they see anything suspicious or may know anything about an individual or organisation that may be involved with terrorism or at risk of radicalisation.

Thirteen terror plots have been thwarted in the past three years – and a third of major investigations are aided by the public speaking up.

"It is all about encouraging members of the public and the community to have confidence to call the counter terrorism hotline if they have any suspicions," he said.

"That could be because a friend or a family member has been radicalised online or at a mosque or they own a business and people are using their premises for terrorist purposes.

"We are trying to demystify what happens when someone calls the anti-terrorist hotline, and to encourage people who may worry about wasting police time to be safer rather than sorry.

"We will do an assessment and carry out checks and if it does turn out to be a false call made on good intentions then that is absolutely fine.

"My key message is that I don't want people to be alarmed but every community and every member of that community does need to maintain their alertness and vigilance."

But it has been engaging with the public – particularly the Muslim community which has proved difficult for the police and other public bodies tasked with fighting terrorism.

The government's national counter terrorism strategy – CONTEST – has faced criticism for being intrusive, unworkable, and accused of unfairly labelling children as potential terrorists.

Some as young as four years-old have been referred to anti-radicalisation workshops.

Counter terrorism officers and security service intelligence officers have also been accused of harassing young Muslim men.

"There have been vocal voices about the national CONTEST strategy but my experience in the region is that people have been willing to engage," said Ch Supt Ward.

"What we are trying to do is keep communities safe and the reality of terrorism impacts everybody. Every community is at risk.

"Repercussions can be felt all over the world. Is there more that can be done? I'm sure there is. Building and maintaining those relationships, building trust with schools, mosques, religious and non-religious establishments is one of the key aims of our strategy to stop terrorist attacks."

He says West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit is 'well-resourced' to fight the challenge of terrorism and that work goes on 'behind-the-scenes' every day to prevent attacks or minimise their potential.

"There is still a desire by a small minority of people to cause considerable harm but the measures in place to stop that are working," he said.

But as terrorists change their tactics – including harnessing new technology – it is vital the police react.

"Terrorists will always evolve their methods of communicating to further their terrorist ambitions," he said.

"I can only judge on our past and we have been able to thwart a number of attacks that have been planned in the UK. That tells me our capabilities have been sufficient.

"But as the terrorists continue to evolve, advance, and change their ways of operating, we need to be able to do the same.

"Everything I have seen tells me we are on track but it is a constant battle to ensure terrorists do not get one step ahead of us."