600 additional armed police officers will join existing bobbies packing heat on London’s streets, as the Metropolitan Police service looks to tighten up defenses in anticipation of a potential terror attack.
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“It means an attack is highly likely – you could say it is a case of when, not if”.
“Our gun controls and the simple fact we are an island mean that terrorists in the United Kingdom would struggle to get the firearms required to repeat attacks similar to those we have seen on the Continent” wrote Hogan-Howe.
The assistant commissioner thanked the public for their support, but said “even more public assistance” was needed to combat the terror threat, which has been listed as “severe”, the second highest level, since 2014.
Rowley says some 3,600 contributions or tips from the public take place every day, but recent attacks show that extra vigilance is necessary.
The relationship between MI5, MI6 and police was a “world beater”, Hogan-Howe said, which had helped prevent terror incidents since the murder of Lee Rigby in 2013.
Counter terror police are now investigating the attempted abduction of a serviceman at RAF Marham in Norfolk, but other motives have not been ruled out.
In line with British policing methods, the majority of London police officers do not carry firearms.
Sir Bernard Hogan Howe, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, said there would be more armed officers at landmarks in the capital following terror attacks in Europe. “Within hours of the awful events in Paris last November, I recognised that the attack we had witnessed just 200 miles from London required a huge response”, Hogan-Howe added.
“I want the public to know that we have substantial resources and a range of tactics that we can call on to protect them”.
“Meanwhile we are training hundreds of extra officers so they are ready to supplement our numbers during an attack similar to that seen in Paris”.
The UK will also be taking up a major role protecting the EU from terrorism after it was announced that a UK ‘securocrat’ has been appointed as Commissioner for the Security Union.
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“The safety and security of all Londoners is my first priority, and our police and security services is [sic] working incredibly hard every day on our behalf”, said the Mayor. We are deadly serious about the protection that we are offering the people of London and we will never be complacent.
