Fixated loners serious threat to royal wedding

One of the most serious threats to the royal wedding will come in the form of fixated individuals who often suffer from mental disorder, according to the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre (FTAC).

The FTAC, which was established in 2006 and jointly run by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and NHS, is responsible for identifying individuals who harass, stalk or threaten the royal family and others in public life.

Speaking to CNN, Dr. David James, the clinical director of FTC, said: “The royal wedding has become the focus of attention for various fixated individuals who have responded by making threats to disrupt events – some for deluded paranoid reasons and others because they believe themselves already to be married to Prince William. Such individuals generally meet the criteria for compulsory care under the Mental Health Act.”

The MPS said it does not comment on security matters relating to the royal family, but it has been reported that police are monitoring and have spoken to a number of people they suspect to be “fixated” regarding the royal wedding.

The FTAC added that the main risks to royals and elected politicians in Western countries come not from terrorists or criminal groups, but from fixated loners, the majority of whom are mentally ill. Such individuals often have an obsessive preoccupation with a person that they pursue to an irrational degree, spending much of their time thinking about that person.

Past incidents where “fixated individuals” have breached security include the case of Michael Fagan, who in 1982 scaled the fence at Buckingham Palace, ran across the lawn and climbed into the queen’s bedroom while she slept.

The FTAC currently receives around 1,000 referrals a year from ministries, parliament and the royal households which are both from within the UK and abroad.

As well as fixated individuals, the MPS is also conducting a wider security operation aimed at protecting wedding guests and thousands of people expected to visit London on Friday (April 29).

Officers have been conducting a “search and sweep” operation along the wedding route, checking drains, traffic lights, dustbins and any other street furniture that could be used to hide a bomb or weapons.

Lynne Owens, assistant commissioner of the MPS, said: “There is no specific intelligence in relation to this event but we would be really naive to ignore (anti-royal) comments on social media.

“If you are thinking of entering the crowds as a shield just don’t do it. My officers will spot you in the crowd and they will take quick and decisive action to remove you. We won’t let anybody disrupt this very exciting day for the royal family and the country.”