The UK must be alert to far-right extremism infiltrating the police and armed forces to prevent the spread of harmful ideologies, a security expert has warned.  

Dr Alberto Testa, an expert in far-right extremism from the University of West London (UWL), spoke at the Global Counter Terror & Serious and Organised Crime Summit to explore how far-right terrorism has more than trebled in the past five years and how this can be prevented.

He also raised the serious threat of far-right extremists infiltrating the police and armed forces in Europe – tactical activity carried out for weapons training, access to ammunition and explosives, and as a way to recruit other ‘soldiers’ to join them in “their fight against democratic systems”.

Outlining the need for effective tools to stop extremists to join and to spot signs of radicalisation of service members and veterans, Dr Testa said:  

As we face economic crisis we cannot ignore the very real threat and growth of far-right extremism and propaganda from these separate groups operating online and reaching isolated young people who slowly become more tolerant of extreme ideologies.

There have been many cases of extremists and racists infiltrating law enforcement and military bodies across Europe and the US, with the UK gradually seeing the same trend, aiming to spread nationalism, xenophobia and white supremacism.

Online, hardcore far-right groups are varied and incredibly resilient to government or security action, and that coupled with the economic crisis from Covid-19 all helps create fertile ground for online radicalisation.

He also spoke about the way far-right extremist groups finance themselves, often having links to national organised crime.

Alberto Testa is a Professor of Applied Criminology at UWL’s School of Human and Social Sciences. As well as working with security agencies and policy makers to drive change, he has published extensively on far-right, racism and extremism in sports, exploring the growth of terrorism and radicalisation to help experts understand how to recognise and address the threat nationally.