THE depressing events of recent days provide a stark indication of the radical changes required if we are to effectively police the streets and computers of Britain in the 21st century.

The threat posed by international terrorism, criminals who pose as asylum seekers and the shocking evils that lurk on the Internet have convinced me of the need for a nationally centralised response to these new order crimes.

As I watched the terrible news emerge from Manchester of the fatal stabbing of special branch officer Detective Constable Stephen Oake, during what had been perceived as a routine raid, I couldn't help but feel this was a death that should have been avoided.

My abiding thought on seeing the swarms of officers filing into the flat after the attack, decked from head to toe in protective gas masks and clothing, was why such caution wasn't taken in the first place?

Of course it is easy to be wise with hindsight, but it is only through such reflection that lessons can be learnt. Obviously there must be a full inquiry into precisely what happened, with the results made public.

History is littered with the bloody record of criminals who have used the cover of asylum to bring their terror to foreign countries. The Mafia first gained a foothold in the US when Europeans arrived at Ellis Island eager to make a new start in New York.

And the film Scarface details how supposed political asylum can act as a Trojan Horse for terror. I have spoken at length to several genuine asylum seekers and no right-thinking person could fail to be moved by their plight. The foundations of Teesside, and much of the North-East, were built on the sweat and solid values of immigrants who wished for nothing more than a chance to work hard and raise their families in safety.

But it is in everyone's interests that strict vetting and monitoring is carried out to ensure we do not allow criminals to muscle their way in.

The news that over 7,000 British people are suspected of accessing paedophile sites on the Internet is shocking and it is interesting to note it was the US authorities who have provided this information.

In the wrong hands, the Internet bypasses all border controls to bring the very worst of the underworld into our homes. Britain's 43 police forces simply cannot afford to set up and train their own individual teams of officers to protect their own patches from these new order crimes.

Police and council budgets are stretched already. Adding the burden of checking the Internet, suspicious asylum seekers and potential chemical terrorists to a hard-pressed police commander, who already has to prioritise between a mugging or burglary, is asking too much.

If the Government is serious about tackling such national and international crimes, then it has to decide who will lead such investigations - possibly MI5, possibly a newly-established unit - and provide the resources for training and deployment. This would be the most lasting and suitable tribute to the bravery of Detective Constable Stephen Oake.

Published: 17/01/2003