Countering the terrorist threat: Social and Behavioural Science How academia and industry can play their part Contents Understanding the economic This booklet is for everyone in and social impacts of terrorism and Section 1: Social and behavioural counter-terrorism interventions 18 academia, industry and other science in CONTEST 04 Section 3: How to get involved 19 CONTEST: International terrorism I’m in academia or industry research organisations whose and the UK 04 with a bright idea. Who should CONTEST: Science and technology 05 I contact? 20 work on social and behavioural CONTEST: Social and behavioural How does the Government science 06 gain scientific advice on science could help counter the Ethical considerations 06 counter-terrorism? 22 How is the Government communicating with academia? 24 terrorist threat to the UK. Section 2: Key challenges 07 How is Government communicating Pursue with industry? 28 Improving decision-making with Where can I look internationally International terrorism is a intelligence data 08 for information and funding? 29 Understanding capability, What should I do next? 31 vulnerability and attack complex social phenomenon. indicators in terrorist organisations. 09 Glossary 32 Prevent End notes 33 Application of social and Refining our understanding of radicalisation 10 behavioural science can Developing effective Prevent interventions 11 improve our knowledge and Protect Identifying suspicious behaviour 12 understanding of terrorism Improving protective security 13 and its consequences. Social Prepare Understanding crowd behaviour during terrorism incidents and and behavioural science can emergencies 14 directly inform strategy, policy Improving the operational effectiveness of emergency and operations and help ensure response teams 15 Cross-cutting challenges that the Government’s response Reducing false positives in our counter-terrorist work 16 is robust and effective. Communicating with the public, stakeholders and communities 17 Countering the terrorist SectionIntroduction 1 threat: Social and Section 1 behavioural science CONTEST CONTEST How academia and industry can play their part Section 1 Social and behavioural science in CONTEST CONTEST: International terrorism CONTEST is based on a set of principles, CONTEST is based on four workstreams, CONTEST: Science and technology and the UK reflecting our core values, the lessons each with a clear objective: In August 2009, the Government 1 we and others have drawn from our The 2010 National Security Strategy – Pursue: to stop terrorist attacks. published the UK Science and experiences of terrorism to date, and identified international terrorism as the – Prevent : to stop people becoming Technology Strategy for Countering the broader security principles set out in most significant immediate security terrorists or supporting violent International Terrorism3. The strategy the National Security Strategy. threat to the UK. While terrorism is not extremism. outlines how science and technology new, the current threat is different from – We regard the protection of human – Protect: to strengthen our protection (including social and behavioural those we have faced before in its scope, rights as central to our counter- against terrorist attack. science) can better enable us to capability and ambition. Contemporary terrorism work in this country and – Prepare: where an attack cannot be pursue terrorists, prevent radicalisation, international terrorist organisations overseas. stopped, to mitigate its impact. protect essential services and have an international cause, plan and – Our response to terrorism is and will be Work on Pursue and Prevent reduces infrastructure and prepare for a terrorist conduct attacks in and from a range of based upon the rule of law. the threat from terrorism while work attack. It also sets out our objectives countries and aim to inflict significant – We will always aim to prosecute those on Protect and Prepare reduces the for the next three years: civilian casualties. Many seek to responsible for terrorist attacks in this UK’s vulnerability to attack. Together, – To use horizon scanning to understand recruit people in this country. Some country. they reduce the overall risk from future scientific and technical threats organisations aspire to use Chemical, – We will tackle the causes as well as international terrorism. The revised and opportunities and inform our Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) symptoms of terrorism. strategy also emphasises a number of decision making on counter-terrorism. materials as weapons*. – We will work towards reducing support priorities common to all the four main – To ensure the development and for terrorism and preventing people workstreams: one of these is science The nature of the threat and the delivery of effective counter-terrorism becoming terrorists: without popular and technology. Government’s response is set out in solutions by identifying and sharing support terrorism is unsustainable. the UK’s Strategy for Countering priority science and technology – We will be responsive to the threat International Terrorism (CONTEST), requirements. that can be created by rapidly evolving published in 2009 2 a brief review of – To enhance international collaboration technology. the first year of the revised CONTEST on counter-terrorism related science – We recognise that partnerships in this strategy will be published shortly. and technology. country and overseas are essential The aim of CONTEST is: to our success and that these “to reduce the risk to the United partnerships depend on openness and Kingdom and its interests overseas trust. from international terrorism, so that – The threat we face crosses our borders people can go about their lives freely and is international in scope. We will and with confidence.” depend upon our allies as they will depend on us. * A CBRN strategy will be released shortly and published at www.parliament.uk/deposits/depositedpapers/2010/DEP2010-0760.pdf Countering the terrorist Section 1 threat: Social and Section 2 behavioural science CONTEST Key challenges How academia and industry can play their part Section 2 Key challenges The strategy commits the Government deal with numerical measurements This section outlines The section is structured around each to producing a series of brochures for whilst qualitative approaches deal challenges for UK counter- of four main workstreams of our counter- academia, industry and other research with how people understand their terrorist strategy: organisations about science and experiences. Providing the methods terrorist work that may be – Our Pursue work depends not just on technology in counter-terrorism. The used are robust, both qualitative addressed by social and understanding terrorist intent and brochures outline our research and and quantitative approaches are behavioural science. planning, but also on effective analysis development requirements. equally valid. and decision making during complex The first of these brochures was Social and behavioural science is In each part we have identified and fast moving counter-terrorist published alongside the strategy and essential to understanding why a core challenge, some of investigations; identified counter-terrorism challenges individuals and groups behave as they – For Prevent to make a difference that could be addressed by technical do, knowledge of which is essential its associated social and we need to understand why people science4. This brochure explains the for countering terrorism. There are behavioural features, and the become radicalised, how and where challenges that may be addressed challenges related to social and social and behavioural work we can intervene most effectively in through the application of social and behavioural science in all parts of that could help us in the future. the radicalisation process and how behavioural science. CONTEST and Section 2 of this brochure we can then assess our progress and describes these in detail. identify best practice: in this context, CONTEST: Social and behavioural radicalisation is the process by which science Ethical considerations people come to support violent extremism and, in some cases, to Social and behavioural science includes Work carried out by social and participate in terrorist groups7. many separate disciplines including behavioural scientists on behalf of – Our work will benefit from sociology, psychology, criminology, Government is carried out in accordance Protect accurate detection of suspicious anthropology, economics, political with strong ethical principles, such as behaviour, whether from an individual science and communication studies. those laid out in the Government Office in a crowd or an employee inside The common themes of social and for Science’s Universal Ethical Code a key organisation. Our protective behavioural science are, respectively, for Scientists6 and the Government security measures depend not only “the study of society and the manner Social Research Service’s guidance. on new technology but also on a in which people behave and impact Researchers follow the guidelines and better understanding of associated the world around us”5; and the study ethical codes of their professional human factors. of the actions and reactions of people organisations and where appropriate, – For our work we want to through observational and experimental studies have full independent Prepare understand more about crowd methods. ethical review. behaviour during an emergency Applying scientific