Ministers appeal for amateur Q`s to help protect UK

Inventors were urged yesterday to come up with gadgets to tackle possible future terrorist threats such as robot suicide bombers - reports the Daily Mail.

The Government, unveiling its three-year counter terrorism strategy, wants civilian scientists to follow in the footsteps of Q - the fictional inventor who supplies contraptions to James Bond.

Its strategy involved 'scanning the horizon' for potential future threats to the UK.

Because terrorists will increasingly have access to new technology, they will be 'capable of conducting more lethal operations' and ingenious devices will be needed to combat them.

The report, which identified Al Qaeda and groups inspired by its ideology as the main threat, said terrorists could use 'robots that effectively mimic human appearance and movements'.

As genetic technologies become cheaper and more easily available, the ability to engineer biological weapons will become more widespread, the report warns.

As part of its response the Government is encouraging scientists in academia and industry to devise gadgets to fend off the threat.

A weapon to combat fanatics attempting sea-borne attacks has already been devised. A shoulderfired gun, unveiled yesterday, fires a net which tangles up an enemy boat's outboard motor - stopping it at speeds of up to 50mph.

Security Minister Lord West said: 'The UK faces a real and serious threat from terrorism and we need to utilise our position as a world leader in science and technology.'

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