Post by Michael on Mar 15, 2004 9:46:39 GMT -5
Monday March 15, 01:14 PM
Anti-terror police patrol tube network
LONDON (Reuters) - Plain clothes anti-terrorist police with stop-and-search powers are patrolling London's underground rail network in the wake of last week's multiple bomb attacks on Madrid trains that killed 200 people.
Under new security guidelines, police will be able to frisk anyone they think is acting suspiciously.
Their deployment on Monday comes as a new poster campaign, urging passengers to be vigilant, was launched on the vast Underground system which carries some three million people a day.
The Madrid bombings have stoked fears that Britain's extensive rail network could be one of the next targets of extremists seeking to extract revenge for last year's U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
An extra 1,000 transport police officers have been diverted to help with the counter-terrorism effort in London.
London Underground passenger James Blomfield said he remained philosophical.
"I just accept that travelling on the tube at the moment is like playing a game of roulette," he told Reuters.
Another passenger, Lynne Game, added: "You have to put the worry to the back of your mind if you want to live a normal life."
Last September, police staged a mock attack on an underground train in the heart of London to test responses to a possible chemical or gas attack on the network.
Deputy Chief Constable (DCC) Andy Trotter of the British Transport Police said on Monday that while there had been no specific threat against London Underground or the capital's rail network, "the threat from terrorism remains very real, as the events in Madrid show".
"London is on a high level of alert and the London Underground system is controlled public space, with hundreds of staff at stations, extensive CCTV coverage and its own dedicated police resources," he told Reuters.
"A further, crucial element is the vigilance of customers. With three million travelling every day, they can provide millions of eyes and ears across the whole system."
Police said the latest initiative had been agreed before last Thursday's attack on the Spanish capital and was not connected, but with speculation mounting that al Qaeda was to blame, focus was turning to the risk to other Western cities.
"The despicable attacks in Madrid show only too clearly that the threat from terrorism remains very real," said Peter Clarke, head of the Metropolitan Police's Anti-Terrorist Branch.
"Public vigilance is vital at all times, not only when travelling on the Tube or rail network."
Source:-
uk.news.yahoo.com/040315/325/eokg6.html
Anti-terror police patrol tube network
LONDON (Reuters) - Plain clothes anti-terrorist police with stop-and-search powers are patrolling London's underground rail network in the wake of last week's multiple bomb attacks on Madrid trains that killed 200 people.
Under new security guidelines, police will be able to frisk anyone they think is acting suspiciously.
Their deployment on Monday comes as a new poster campaign, urging passengers to be vigilant, was launched on the vast Underground system which carries some three million people a day.
The Madrid bombings have stoked fears that Britain's extensive rail network could be one of the next targets of extremists seeking to extract revenge for last year's U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
An extra 1,000 transport police officers have been diverted to help with the counter-terrorism effort in London.
London Underground passenger James Blomfield said he remained philosophical.
"I just accept that travelling on the tube at the moment is like playing a game of roulette," he told Reuters.
Another passenger, Lynne Game, added: "You have to put the worry to the back of your mind if you want to live a normal life."
Last September, police staged a mock attack on an underground train in the heart of London to test responses to a possible chemical or gas attack on the network.
Deputy Chief Constable (DCC) Andy Trotter of the British Transport Police said on Monday that while there had been no specific threat against London Underground or the capital's rail network, "the threat from terrorism remains very real, as the events in Madrid show".
"London is on a high level of alert and the London Underground system is controlled public space, with hundreds of staff at stations, extensive CCTV coverage and its own dedicated police resources," he told Reuters.
"A further, crucial element is the vigilance of customers. With three million travelling every day, they can provide millions of eyes and ears across the whole system."
Police said the latest initiative had been agreed before last Thursday's attack on the Spanish capital and was not connected, but with speculation mounting that al Qaeda was to blame, focus was turning to the risk to other Western cities.
"The despicable attacks in Madrid show only too clearly that the threat from terrorism remains very real," said Peter Clarke, head of the Metropolitan Police's Anti-Terrorist Branch.
"Public vigilance is vital at all times, not only when travelling on the Tube or rail network."
Source:-
uk.news.yahoo.com/040315/325/eokg6.html