The Charlie Hebdo incident in Paris has led to an increase in support for the security services to be given more surveillance powers, according to a top barrister.
Britain needs clear laws that allow for monitoring of activities, Alistair MacDonald QC says, but the chairman of the Bar Council also warns in the legal magazine Counsel that restricting civil rights is one of the things extremists are looking to achieve.
It should not just be up to the security services and senior members of police forces to act based on codes of practice, Mr MacDonald says.
Instead, he believes that a "rigorous statutory framework" is now required in the UK.
Mr MacDonald suggested that society should carefully introduce new frameworks that allow more surveillance to take place in order to prevent incidents in the future, rather than relying on codes of practice alone.
Copyright Press Association 2015