Crackdown on asylum-seekers would do little to lessen threat

The death of Detective Constable Stephen Oake, allegedly at the hands of an asylum-seeker suspected of involvement in terrorism, has provoked claims that Britain's immigration system is a threat to national security.

Commentators on the right, who complain about Britain's "liberal" immigration laws, are now suggesting the system encourages terror. The Sun said in a leading article: "If Britain wasn't such a soft touch, Steve Oake would still be alive today."

The murder has led to fears that the arrival of large numbers of immigrants from unstable states has left Britain vulnerable to attack from an "enemy within". Yet the tightening of what are, arguably, already tough asylum laws would do little to reduce the terror threat.

As well as the 72,000-plus asylum-seekers who come to Britain each year, a further 90 million foreigners arrive annually as visitors. An immigration official said: "Terrorists wouldn't necessarily come in as asylum-seekers; they might come here as a tourist or as a student or get married to a British citizen. There are all sorts of ways of getting in. It's not just asylum-seekers, it could be anyone."

The Government is facing calls to abandon Britain's responsibilities under the 1951 Geneva Convention on refugees, to ease removal of people regarded as a threat.

Ministers have already introduced the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act, which allows terror suspects to be held without charge, and has been used to detain 15 people. The emergency measure, brought in after the 11 September attacks, was criticised by Tory peers for undermining human rights. But after DC Oake's death, the Tory leader, Iain Duncan, Smith, said: "No person should be allowed to enter the country if they pose a risk to our security and those that do should be detained or deported immediately."

Jean Candler, spokeswoman for the Refugee Council, said British officials had to make a decision whether an individual was a threat "based on the evidence and the law" and must be careful not to brand people as terrorists unfairly. She said: "If Nelson Mandela had fled South Africa and come to the UK, his government would have said that he was a terrorist. We might argue that he was fighting for democracy and the rights of people who were being persecuted."

Ultimately, public safety is in the hands of the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, which aims to identify terror suspects before they try to enter the country, and the Security Service, MI5, and police counter-terrorist experts, who combat those who plan attacks after reaching Britain.

The security and intelligence agencies have a combined budget of £990m for 2002-03. MI5, which employs 1,900 people, spent 56.9 per cent of its 2001-02 budget on counter-terrorism.

David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, said recent events would not persuade him to create a "fortress Britain". A Home Office spokesman added: "Our view is that it's wrong to assume that asylum-seekers are any more dangerous than anyone else."