Public urged to remain vigilant and report any concerns during festive period

The Met’s Counter Terrorism officers are reminding Londoners to trust their instincts and report anything that doesn’t feel right when they are out and about in the city over the coming weeks.

The festive period will see a large amount of events in the capital, including Christmas markets, football matches and carol services attracting large crowds of people.

Every year across the UK, Counter Terrorism Policing receives over 10,000 reports from the public and a fifth of those provide intelligence which is particularly useful to investigators.

Chief Superintendent Kris Wright, head of Protective Security Operations for the Met said:

“At this time of year, we naturally see more people heading out and about to enjoy the festive period. We want people to enjoy themselves, but also to stay safe, so we are asking the public to report anything that doesn’t look or feel right to us.

“The power of public reporting should not be underestimated. It is never a waste of time to speak to us, or submit an online report.

“Sadly, the threat from terrorism is a real one, so it is vital that we have the support of the public, which helps our own operations and activity to keep everyone safe.

“Since 2017, we, along with our partners have disrupted over 40 terrorist plots. That is down to many dedicated, specialist officers and staff, but also due to the public helping us in that crucial work.”

The Met recently ran major incident training exercises at Brentford and Millwall Football Clubs as part of its programme of work to test and improve the response to a terrorism attack.

Officers work year-round with venues and organisations across the Capital to help them protect against potential terrorist threats and to be prepared to respond should the worst happen. Further exercises are planned with several other clubs and venues in the New Year.

Chf Supt Wright said: “It is important to stress these exercises are not in response to any specific intelligence or threat of attack at any particular venue in London.

“We are prepared but never complacent. We organise training events all year round at different venues across London to improve the preparedness of police and emergency services partners in dealing with different terrorism attack scenarios.

“These are vital in building up the knowledge and experience of the first responders to a major incident.

“The public in London should feel reassured the city has some of the most well-trained emergency services in the UK.”

If you see something suspicious, either tell a police officer, report it online via www.gov.uk/ACTor call the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321. In an emergency, call 999.