British government security orders that can be placed on known extremists are so expensive to enforce they are hardly ever used, leaving the majority of returning jihadists to “roam free”.

The arrangements made for Islamist extremists living in the United Kingdom has come under intense scrutiny in the wake of the rediscovery of a former London schoolgirl who defected to the Islamic State in 2015, who now wants to come to Britain to raise an ISIS fighter’s son.

‘Sisterhood in Jihad’: UK’s First All-Female Islamic State Cell Accused of London Plot https://t.co/2X88QqnVP3 — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) May 12, 2018

While the British government has stripped 19-year-old Shamima Begum of her citizenship in a bid to prevent her from returning to the United Kingdom, Breitbart London has previously reported how a large number of extremists have already arrived — and continue to arrive — from foreign warzones.

Despite assurances from the police that those returning will be subjected to Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures (TPIMs), a report by British newspaper The Times reports that only a small minority are actually monitored in this way.

Nikita Malik of the Henry Jackson Society told the paper that, due at least in part to the great expense of putting TPIMs in place, only a small number have actually been activated, speaking of only a “handful” of the estimated 400 returned fighters and extremists being subjected to them.

“The rest have been put under surveillance. TPIMs are for the highest level because they are so costly,” Malik explained.

Dozens of ISIS Jihad Brides Returning to Britain ‘Imminently’ https://t.co/KmbitCKlii — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) October 29, 2018

The report revealed Home Office figures showing nearly £5 million had been spent controlling just 23 individuals, with legal bills of £1 million a year and accommodation costs of £70,000 a year per individual. Other costs, including tagging suspects, travel costs, and policing to enforce restrictions, are counted separately, piling up on top of the Home Office figures.

The government disputes the claims of the Henry Jackson Society, and insists the use of TPIMs is not considered on cost grounds.

These figures come just weeks after separate revelations reported by Breitbart London on the monitoring of terror returnees uncovered by Labour MP John Woodcock. Speaking in Parliament, Mr Woodcock said: “Are more than 400 of those returning individuals in jail or going through the court system? We simply do not know, because the Government will not release the figures, despite repeated requests.

“There is strong demand from the public to know how many who travelled to fight foreign jihad are currently free in British communities. Those men and women are escaping justice, despite having been prepared to fight British troops in the name of a sickeningly evil cause.

“If they are not locked up or deradicalised, they are potentially able to import back to British streets brutal killing techniques learned on the battlefield.”

Israeli Counter-terror Vet: Manchester Attack a Result of ‘Failed Immigration Policy’ https://t.co/ObmeGParPa — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) January 3, 2019

Responding to his questions, a Government spokesman said of the more than 850 UK-linked individuals who are known to have travelled to Syria, “over 15 percent” are presumed dead, and “just under half” are now in Britain.

Most shockingly, despite their association with extremist militant groups and activity in an active warzone, the Government admitted: “A significant proportion of those individuals who have already returned are assessed as no longer being of national security concern” — meaning that far from being prosecuted, they may not even be under active surveillance.

Six of the Jihadis Involved in Paris Attacks Entered Europe as ‘Refugees’ https://t.co/nFB9TlzRxJ pic.twitter.com/xk75UpzVIQ — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) November 11, 2016

Returning fighters and extremists are not just creating problems for the United Kingdom, but for nations across Europe where unchecked mass migration is a feature of national life. The European Union is to crack down on sales of chemicals in response to this free movement of terrorists, with a European Commission document noting the “vast majority of terrorist attacks in the EU” were commi9tted by terrorists using home-made explosives.

Counter Extremism Project senior director, Hans-Jakob Schindler said of the move: “The guys coming from Syria and Iraq very likely have built hundreds of IEDs [improvised explosive devices] in their time there, because that was one of the preferred methods used as an equalizer against the much-better-equipped Iraqi army.”

Former Security Chief: Security Services Have Lost Track Of Terrorists In Europe http://t.co/Q3FXDqFoKs pic.twitter.com/RGC75yZ9dr — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) September 24, 2015

Oliver JJ Lane is the editor of Breitbart London — Follow him on Twitter and Facebook