An increase of 1,900 security and intelligence staff and more funding for aviation security among government plans

David Cameron is to respond to the escalation in terror attacks around the world by making provisions for 1,900 extra security and intelligence staff and doubling funds for aviation security.

In what is seen as the biggest increase in British security spending since the 7/7 bombings in London, the new funding will be invested in the security and intelligence agencies to provide 1,900 new officers, an increase of 15%, at MI5, MI6 and GCHQ.

The move follows attacks in Paris on Friday in which 129 people were killed and the suspected bombing of a Russian plane over Egyptian airspace last month. It reflects fears that Islamic State, who claimed responsibility for the French deaths, have shown they are willing to use suicide bombers in Europe.

The money will be formally announced in the five-year defence and security review due to be published next week.

Cameron will also hire additional aviation security officers to assess security at overseas airports in the wake of concerns raised about many Middle East and north Africa airports used by British tourists.

The government temporarily banned all UK flights in and out of Sharm el-Sheikh airport in Egypt in the wake of the suspected bombing of a Russian commercial MetroJet passenger plane. The government says there is “a significant possibility” that Isis was responsible for placing a bomb in the baggage hold.

The additional aviation security officers will “provide regular assessments of security at airports around the world and with the capacity to ‘surge’ as necessary in response to an incident such as the MetroJet crash”.

The intelligence agencies currently have a staff of about 12,700 and spending on aviation security is only £9m a year because the bulk of the costs are borne by airports and airlines. The government employs 20 aviation security liaison officers, including eight based overseas.

Critics will say the extra recruits will do little to counter the massive cuts to the regular police, seen by senior police chiefs as the front line in the domestic battle against terrorists, but the government claims the specific need is for specialist counter-terrorism and airport security staff.

Additional security measures were put in place by the UK and US at a number of potentially vulnerable airports over the past year and these will now be reviewed to check whether they go far enough.

The issue of aviation security will be at the top of the agenda of the government’s national security council (NSC) on Monday, where members will also hear a report on the incident that led to the closure of Gatwick airport’s north terminal on Saturday after police were alerted to “suspicious actions”. A French man has been charged with possession of an air rifle and a knife.

Government sources discounted reports that the SAS had been redeployed closer to London following the attacks in Paris, but acknowledged that the security services may now be facing a new threat in which terrorists do not seek to take hostages, but instead indulge in mass killings, so creating the need for a rapid response by security forces to minimise the loss of life.

Money will be spent on increased research into screening technology to thwart terrorists as they seek new ways to disrupt travel. The prime minister said: “Economic security goes hand-in-hand with national security. Since 2010, we have taken the tough decisions necessary to restore our economic strength and we now have one of the fastest growing developed economies.

“That means we can now invest more in our national security and I am determined to prioritise the resources we need to combat the terrorist threat because protecting the British people is my number one duty as prime minister. Our intelligence agencies work round the clock behind the scenes and, as the threat has grown, so they too have risen to the challenge. This is a generational struggle that demands we provide more manpower to combat those who would destroy us and our values.”





Government sources said the extra spending had to be seen alongside the commitment to defence spending set at 2% of GDP and the major investment in aid spending, a resource which ministers say can be used for security purposes.

Cameron, who discussed aviation security with other leaders at the G20 in Turkey on Sunday, is expected to address the security threat facing the UK in his annual speech to the lord mayor’s banquet on Monday. He is likely to talk more about the choices that the government will make in the strategic security and defence review “to ensure that money and resources are focused on the threats we face today”.