London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Sep 13, 2025

UK policing and border control infiltrated by war mentality, says report

UK policing and border control infiltrated by war mentality, says report

Campaign groups say hyper-militarisation of British policing agencies is ‘deeply troubling’

Policing, border control and surveillance have become increasingly militarised in the UK and infiltrated by a “war mentality”, according to a report.

It says there is an increasingly blurred line between the police and the military and that key areas including counter-terrorism, anti-protest policing, border control and the policing of gangs have adopted a war mentality.

The report from Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) and the Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol) describes the hyper-militarisation of British policing agencies as “deeply troubling”.

The increased use of hi-tech surveillance tools such as phone data extraction technology, mobile fingerprint scanners and live facial recognition technology are among the techniques that the report expresses concern about. People of colour are identified as being at greatest risk of being targeted.

While not all of these techniques are new, the report – A Very British Problem: The Evolution of Britain’s Militarised Policing Industrial Complex – maps their increasing use in recent years and says the technology “vastly tips power in favour of the state”.

It states: “Black activists are disproportionately subjected to excessive police force. Armed counter-terrorism units, immigration enforcement and UK Border Force draw directly from the military handbook. Police officers are increasingly acting like border guards working with the Home Office to carry out immigration control.”

It expresses concern that surveillance technology is being rolled out in the absence of sufficient legislative or parliamentary oversight. While many organisations are involved with the deployment of technologies such as AI and facial recognition, there is no single body guiding the adoption of these new technologies.

Key areas of concern include:

*  Mobile fingerprint scanners, which many police forces now use and are linked to the Home Office’s immigration and asylum biometric system, which holds the fingerprints of non-UK citizens who have entered the country.

*  The Home Office biometrics programme, a new digital system to allow biometric and other data to be shared seamlessly between police, immigration enforcement and other government departments.

*  Use of military-grade drones to patrol the Channel to carry out surveillance on asylum seekers crossing in small boats.

*  A gangs matrix that profiles people believed to be gang members, whether or not they have committed any crime. A 2016 survey of the matrix by Amnesty International found that 87% of those on it were from BAME backgrounds.

The report’s author, Dr Keren Weitzberg, said: “The police are increasingly relying on hi-tech, data-driven and military-grade technology to surveil the British population.”

Sam Perlo-Freeman, a research coordinator at CAAT, said: “Policing in the UK is becoming steadily more repressive, but it’s not just about what the UK is doing to its own citizens. The UK trains foreign police and security services, especially around border control.”

Emily Apple, a communications coordinator at Netpol, said: “This report busts the myth that the police in the UK govern, or have ever governed, by consent. It lays out what those from marginalised communities know all too well, that institutionalised and structural racism results in overpolicing, excessive force and disproportionate criminalisation.

With the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, we’re more likely to see increased criminalisation and surveillance of protesters. It’s down to all of us to monitor what the police are doing and to defend our right to dissent.”

The Home Office said: “All policing and law enforcement practices are underpinned by some of the most robust guidance and laws in the world and to suggest otherwise is wrong.

“Agencies, including police, immigration enforcement and Border Force will face times when they put themselves in danger to deliver for the public, so it is only right they are trained and deploy to the highest standards.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
×