u201cMy firearms officers are our heroes - we expect them to run towards a terrorist attack and take action to confront and stop that threat.u201d
Scotland Yard yesterday doubled the number of routine armed patrols in London to counter the threat of a Paris-style terrorist attack.
The Met will also boost to 400 a specialist squad of firearms officers who are trained to storm buildings occupied by gun-wielding fanatics.
Scotland Yard chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe announced yesterday morning that he was increasing the total number of trained marksmen by 600, taking it to around 2,800 in a £25mn move.
The announcement came as suicide bombers and gunmen yesterday carried out a marauding attack on the Indonesian capital Jakarta, leaving at least seven people dead. There were reports of gunmen on motorbikes throwing grenades, with explosions at a Starbucks cafe and United Nations offices in the city.
Sir Bernard yesterday said he was doubling the number of armed response vehicles on patrol in the capital to improve the force’s ability to respond quickly to a gun attack.
In a statement Sir Bernard said: “In the days following Paris I asked my firearms team to increase the number of armed response vehicles available on our streets, which we did. Now I have decided that we take the steps to increase these numbers on a permanent basis.
“To do so, the Met will now start putting plans in place to raise the number of armed officers that we have by 600. This increase will more than double the number of armed response vehicles on our streets and grow a highly-trained specialist part of our capability. This is because we know that the threat we currently face is likely to be a spontaneous attack that requires a fast response to deal with it. This increase has started already and every day we are getting stronger. It will be an expensive option, but is vital to keeping us safe.”
He added: “My firearms officers are our heroes - we expect them to run towards a terrorist attack and take action to confront and stop that threat.”
In a recent training exercise police revealed that specialist firearms officers were now trained to ignore injured victims but to “go forward” and tackle terrorist gun attackers.
Speaking on LBC radio Sir Bernard said: “We are going to double the number of armed response vehicles that patrol in London. These are the first phase of our response, whether it is an armed bank robbery or a terror attack.”
In addition a task force of specialist officers would be increased to make it up to 400-strong and be the “second phase” of officers to confront armed attackers. He refused to disclose the number of armed response — or Trojan units — on patrol. Firearms officers are all volunteers and Met bosses are now recruiting internally to fill the new posts. Questions were raised over morale among marksmen in the wake of the shooting of 28-year-old Jermaine Baker near Wood Green crown court last month.
Police called for greater legal protection for officers who kill suspects, particularly in light of the new counter-terrorism tactics which will see them stepping over casualties.
The number of officers trained to carry guns in London had fallen in recent years to around 2,200.
Mayor Boris Johnson said: “Keeping Londoners safe is my number one priority, and while this city remains one of the safest in the world, the terrible events in Paris last year remind us that we have to be prepared to meet any potential terrorist threat.
“Increasing our armed response capabilities, alongside additional training and support, is absolutely essential and we welcome the commissioner’s announcement and the funds being made available by the Home Office to support it.”
Armed response vehicles routinely patrol London’s high gun crime boroughs and are manned by three specialist marksmen armed with Glock pistols and Heckler & Koch carbines.
