Written question asked by Lord Goodman of Wycombe (Conservative) on Tuesday, 16 December 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 18 December 2008. It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Monday, 23 February 2009 on behalf of the Home Office.

Terrorism

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how she plans to ensure that Independent Advisory Groups are able to deal with the aftermath of local counter-terror operations; and if she will make a statement.

Answer: The Association of Chief Police Officers has issued guidance to forces to assist them in managing concerns and tensions within local communities during and following a counter terrorist operation. The guidance suggests that the police include members of Independent Advisory Groups (IAG), as well as police authority members and locally elected members, in the group that is formed to deal with the operation.At a strategic level, a National Independent Advisory Group has recently been formed to represent the local IAGs at a national level. This group will act as a central resource to forces in order to provide specific community expertise and advice in the event of a counter terrorist operation.Separately, a two day table top exercise (Op Nicole) has been developed by the Association of Chief Police Officers Terrorism and Allied Matters (ACPO (TAM)), National Community Tension Team. It is designed to break down barriers between police and Muslim communities by promoting an understanding of how counter-terrorism operations work. At the same time, it provides police officers with an insight into Muslim community concerns and the impact that counter-terrorism operations can have upon those communities. It also addresses some of the myths that surround CT work.

Secondary information