Britain is not prepared for soft target attacks - but can it ever be?

As Britain absorbs the latest terror attack in London, many people will be wondering what has gone wrong, and what, if anything, can be done to prevent similar incidents reoccurring. These are all reasonable questions – but the challenges faced by the authorities are immense.

The London Bridge attack demonstrates once again that terrorists have a crucial tactical advantage. They choose when and where to strike from a near limitless supply of soft targets. They are also adept at exploiting the relative openness of democratic societies by blending in, only to betray their malevolence at the last moment,