ISIS RUNAWAY

Security orders for ex‑jihadists are ‘so expensive that many roam free’

Neil Basu, the head of counter-terrorism policing, has said that “anyone who does return to the UK from conflict zones can, at best, expect to live under stringent limitations”
Neil Basu, the head of counter-terrorism policing, has said that “anyone who does return to the UK from conflict zones can, at best, expect to live under stringent limitations”
CHRISTOPHER FURLONG/GETTY IMAGES

The security orders used to keep the public safe from former jihadists are so expensive that experts fear most of those returning from Syria are being allowed to roam free.

The Home Office has spent nearly £5 million keeping 23 suspects under restrictions, The Times can disclose. Annual legal bills have been as high as £1 million while accommodation has cost as much as £70,000 a year per person. That figure excludes the cost of tagging and police work.

Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures (Tpims) are a watered-down version of the stricter control orders introduced by Tony Blair. The light-touch reform was made by David Cameron’s coalition government in 2012 to improve civil liberties.

Although Shamima Begum, the Isis bride found by The Times in