London to get many more armed policemen to tackle terror threat

Currently the Metropolitan Police have around 2,200 trained marksmen and this is set to rise by 600.

Announcing the plan, Scotland Yard chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe 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.”

Sir Bernard added: “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.”

Trained firearms officers are all volunteers and force bosses are holding a recruitment drive to fill the posts.

Questions were raised over morale among marksmen in the wake of the shooting of 28-year-old Jermaine Blake in north London last month.

Police called for greater legal protection for officers who kill suspects, particularly in light of new counter-terror tactics which will see them stepping over casualties to tackle marauding gunmen.

Sir Bernard is already meeting armed officers every two weeks in a bid to protect morale.

Speaking on LBC on Wednesday he said: “I’ve actually met a very large number of our firearms officers after the incident in Haringey to see how they felt, what their complaints might be.”