A raft of terror prevention measures have been completed in Aberdeen- including blocking extremist websites on public internet services.
Under the UK Government’s Prevent and Contest anti-terror strategies local authorities have been given responsibility to help prevent atrocities.
Next week the city council’s public protection committee will meet to discuss progress now that 11 of the 18 recommendations have been marked as complete.
Key planks include helping communities to protect themselves, preventing radicalisation and help those who have been lured into terror groups to break free.
One of the Aberdeen recommendations is to “ensure Prevent is considered in relation to outsourcing of public WiFi provision” which is now marked as complete.
This means that anyone using the public internet network in the city will be blocked from websites showing child abuse, drug abuse, explicit violence, related to extremist groups, pornography, the sales of weapons or phishing websites to rob people.
Committee convener Jennifer Stewart said the case of IS bride Shamima Begum, who was stripped of her British citizenship after going to Syria to join the terror group, showed the harm that online radicalisation can do.
She said: “I think the council and all partners involved have done remarkable work in getting to this point.
“We need to ensure that the public wifi cannot be accessed for extremist materials as this committee’s job is protection of the public.
“It is not about scaremongering but being vigilant. In these days of social media the internet can lure people into this behaviour and it is right that we are mindful of this.”