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Convicted terrorists will face mandatory lie detector tests when they leave prison on leave.
It is one of more than 40 recommendations from a review commissioned in the wake of last year’s London Bridge attack.
Cambridge University graduates Jack Merritt, 25 and Saskia Jones, 23 were stabbed to death on November 29 by Usman Khan in Fishmongers’ Hall, where the attacker had been attending a conference on prisoner rehabilitation.
It was later revealed that the 28-year-old killer was a convicted terrorist who had been out of prison on leave for more than a year after serving half a 16-year sentence.
Saskia Jones and Jack Merritt were killed by Khan
The independent review has revealed shortcomings in the tracking of convicted terrorists, including assessment tools that “seriously minimize” the seriousness of their crimes.
It also found that meetings between police, prison service and probation officers were “dominated by information sharing rather than active handling” of cases.
Khan is believed to have been being monitored with an electronic tag when he was released from jail.
He had also planned to blow up the London Stock Exchange and build a terrorist training ground in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir.
In a review of the Multi-Agency Public Protection Agreements (MAPPA), attorney Jonathan Hall QC called for a “culture shift” in the way authorities share information about people convicted of terrorism.
He said police had “surprisingly limited” local knowledge about such offenders, and said the Prison and Probation Service’s risk assessment tool minimizes the severity of terrorist crimes.
Test results can be used to increase the follow-up of licensed terrorism convicts.
The mandatory polygraph (lie detector) test for terrorists was one of 45 recommendations in the review, completed in May and published on Wednesday.
Those who perform poorly during the test could face further restrictions or supervision.
Home Secretary Chris Philp said he was “already legislating” this measure, but Scotland is reportedly blocking the change.
Terrorism is framed within the question of decentralized justice and Scottish Attorney General Humza Yousaf has rejected a request for testing because “she is not convinced of the merits of the policy,” reports The Sun.
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In a statement, Philp added: “Jonathan Hall found MAPPA to be a well-established process and did not conclude that a total change is necessary.
“He has made a number of recommendations on how the management of terrorists can be improved and the government, police and the Prison and Probation Service have been working on changes in line with many of them.”
Earlier this year, the government passed a law considered the largest terror monitoring and sentencing review in decades.
Under the anti-terrorism bill and sentencing, terrorists face stricter control and a minimum of 14 years in prison for serious crimes.
The most dangerous offenders will also have to spend up to 25 years on license after release.
