Today’s news that 5 men have been convicted of a bomb plot in the UK is a real result for the work done by the security services, who in the past haven’t always got it right.

Amid a seemingly endless list of political and operational gaffs by some segments of the Home office in recent times, today’s convictions show what can be achieved with the right combination of accurate intelligence, inter-agency cooperation and assistance from a vigilant public.

The reams of evidence (including covert video and wiretap surveillance) amassed by the security services during operation crevice, along with the precautionary step of covertly replacing 600 kilos of ammonia nitrate fertiliser with an equivalent volume of cat litter, all helped ensure public safety and a conviction for those responsible for the planned attacks.

The one failing of operation crevice was overlooking the links between the crevice bombers and the 7/7 London bombers. It is certainly regrettable that MI5 did not pass their initial intelligence to West Yorkshire police for further investigation, but to be fair, initial intelligence did not suggest that the suspects being observed posed a direct threat to public safety.

Considering the evidence that those convicted intended to deliberately target locations with high civilian concentrations (the Bluewater shopping centre and a London Nightclub were strong possibilities), I think it’s fair to say that a significant number of us owe our lives to the men and women who worked on this case.

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