MI5 lure potential spies with online recruitment game

MI5 has launched a new online recruitment game to test candidate’s observation and memory skills as part of a scheme to lure new talent.

Britain’s domestic secret service is trying to identify and enlist the best new employees, who will be expected to meet new, and more demanding, security and surveillance needs, as the organisation prepares for the forthcoming Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures (TPIM). 

These measures are less restricting than the current control order system, allowing terrorist suspects the freedom to use mobile phones and the internet. This has led to calls for improved surveillance measures for the secret service. 

While addressing the House of Lords, Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones, the security minister, said that the recruitment push was important "to give the necessary security to the public.”

It has been reported that the MI5 budget was up to £20 million larger this year, to help establish new measures to control terrorist activity. 

Geoff Newman, recruitment expert at online recruitment agency Recruitment Genius, recognises the importance of online games to aid recruitment.

He says: “We’ve recently seen some great examples of online games being used to assist in recruitment campaigns. Practically all divisions of the military have a game such as ‘Start Thinking Soldier’."

“Not only can the games engage a diverse audience, the skills used can also be used to quantify relevant skills required for the job such as problem solving and observation.”

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