The surge in online violence makes declaring a terrorist incident more difficult than ever

The Southport case shows how easily the seeds of extremism can now be sown - and the law needs find a way to keep up

• UK ministers pledge to overhaul terror laws amid Southport murders outcry

As yet, those with the closest knowledge of the Southport case cannot answer these questions: what cause was Axel Rudakubana trying to advance and who was he trying to influence when he unleashed his atrocity? As such, police cannot declare it a terrorist incident.

The UK primarily combats the threat of terrorist violence through civilian law enforcement bodies governed by laws, not the military or paramilitaries, so there needs to be a legal definition of terrorism.