The Metropolitan Police commander says London eventually will suffer another Islamic extremist attack and his force is more committed to use lethal force because of atrocities in neighboring France.
Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe says his 31,000-member force has boosted its anti-terror resources since militants killed 130 people in the Nov. 13 assaults on Paris.
He says 2,800 London officers today carry guns, a quarter more than last year, while an elite counter-terrorist unit is on 24-hour standby. All firearms-equipped officers, he says, have been trained “to take the initiative” to stop a Paris-style attack.
Hogan-Howe wrote in the Mail on Sunday newspaper that a London attack was “a case of when, not if.” He wrote: “I know you want me to reassure you. I am afraid I cannot do that entirely.”
(AP)