Protect and prepare: safeguarding the Critical National Infrastructure

Any purposeful terrorist attack will always happen somewhere in the Critical National Infrastructure. This is a bold statement but it is almost certainly true and is worth bearing in mind when considering the ongoing strategic debate around policing at gas terminals, chemical plants and power stations. Such debate has focused attention on the so-called Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), but just what is this phenomenon and where does it sit within the Government’s CONTEST strategy for counter-terrorism?