Robust anti-terrorist police set to pound Britain’s streets amid heightened terror threat
ANTI-terrorist police officers will be positioned across London in order to undermine potential terrorist activity, Scotland Yard has announced.
The force said the increased police presence was “not in response to a specific threat”
The overriding threat remains from Daesh-inspired groups
The police patrol units will comprise of both undercover and uniformed officers in an attempt to spot people carrying out “hostile reconnaissance” and other criminal activity on the city’s streets.
The Metropolitan Police said the move will form part of the ongoing project, Operation Servator.
The Current UK Terror Threat
A spokesperson said: “Operation Servator is based on extensive research into the psychology of criminals and what undermines their activities.”
The force said the increased police presence was “not in response to a specific threat”, they simply wanted to keep their eyes open for suspicious behaviour.
UK policing is committed to tackling extremism in all forms
The move comes a week after Neil Basu, Scotland Yard’s Deputy Assistant Commissioner, said extreme right-wing terrorism was on the rise as around one in 10 referrals to the Government’s anti-extremism programme is linked to the far-right.
He said: “UK policing is committed to tackling extremism in all forms and this includes the threat from the extreme right-wing.
"The overriding threat remains from Daesh-inspired groups but our operations reflect a broader range of dangerous ideologies and we will work tirelessly with our partners to confront them.
"Over the past 12 months there have been indications that the threat from the extreme right-wing could be increasing and we are alive to this.”
Extreme right-wing terrorist activity is increasing
The London borough’s of Lambeth and Wandsworth will be the first areas to see the new patrols "disrupt potential terrorist activity and crime" from Monday.
Sophie Linden, London's deputy mayor for policing and crime, said it was important for the country’s busiest areas to receive police attention first.
She said: ”Keeping Londoners safe is the mayor's top priority and we know our emergency services do a great job every single day protecting our city.
"However we cannot be complacent, which is why it is good to see the Met rolling out Project Servator to help deter and detect crime in our city's busiest areas.
"I urge Londoners to remain alert and report anything suspicious to the police as they work to keep us all safe."