A gunman opened fire at a mother-and-child centre in Germany this morning. Casualties are mounting. The details are still coming in, but the message is clear: Europe’s security apparatus is stretched thin. UK border chiefs are now on high alert, sources say.
The shooting took place in a quiet suburb of Munich. The target was a facility for vulnerable families. It’s hard to think of a softer target. Harder still to ignore the pattern.
This is the third major incident on the continent in as many months. First the stabbing in Paris, then the bomb scare in Brussels. Now this. Each time the authorities say they are on top of it. Each time the next attack slips through.
The Home Office has triggered a security review. Border Force teams are being briefed. Intelligence-sharing with European partners has been accelerated. But behind the scenes, there’s a quiet panic. The fear is that the UK is not immune.
One Whitehall source told me: “We’ve been warning about this for months. The resources aren’t there. The morale is low. And the threats keep evolving.”
The political fallout is already starting. Backbench MPs are demanding a statement from the Home Secretary. Some are calling for an emergency debate. The timing could not be worse for a government already on the ropes over immigration and policing.
The Prime Minister’s team is scrambling. They know that security is a core promise. If they can’t deliver, the polling will savage them. The Tories are already trailing Labour by double digits on law and order.
Meanwhile, the German police are hunting for a motive. Early reports suggest the attacker was known to authorities but deemed low risk. A familiar story. The cracks in the system are showing.
For the UK, the boundaries of concern are clear. Europe’s problems have a habit of washing up on our shores. The border chiefs are not taking chances. Extra patrols at ports. Tighter checks on freight. More intelligence officers on duty.
But can they hold the line? The system is underfunded and overstretched. The number of firearms officers has actually fallen in the last year. The threat level remains at ‘substantial’ which means an attack is likely.
This incident will dominate the news cycle for days. It will be used by both sides in the debate over immigration and security. The PM will face pressure to backtrack on his promised cuts to the Home Office budget.
For now, the focus is on the victims and the families. But the political clock is ticking. The game is about who can act tough enough to reassure a nervous public.
Stay tuned. The fallout is just beginning.
