Terror in ParisU.K. put special British police unit on standby in the wake of Paris attacks
In the early hours of Saturday, following the previous evening’s terrorist attacks in Paris, the British government put a special British police unit on standby for an emergency national mobilization of officers. The move was a precautionary measure taken as the government weighed placing the United Kingdom on its highest state of terrorist alert. There are forty-three local police forces in England and Wales, and raising the terrorist threat level to critical — the highest would have triggered the dispatching of officers from some of these local forces patrol sites and neighborhood in the country’s big cities.
In the early hours of Saturday, following the previous evening’s terrorist attacks in Paris, the British government put a special British police unit on standby for an emergency national mobilization of officers. The move was a precautionary measure taken as the government weighed placing the United Kingdom on its highest state of terrorist alert.
Police chiefs confirmed to the Guardian that the National Police Coordination Center (NPoCC) was put on standby on Saturday morning. Among other responsibilities, the NPoCC is tasked with finding extra officers from around Britain, mainly from rural areas, to rush to London and other big cities in the event of a terrorist attack.
There are forty-three local police forces in England and Wales, and raising the terrorist threat level to critical — the highest would have triggered the dispatching of officers from some of these local forces patrol sites and neighborhood in the country’s big cities.
The NPoCC is run by the National Police Chiefs’ Council. A spokesperson for the chiefs’ council confirmed the NPoCC had been put on alert hours after the Paris attack. The Guardian notes that the fact it was put on standby shows how seriously taking Britain to its highest state of terrorist alert was considered.
Since Friday’s attacks on Paris, the U.K. terrorist threat level has remained at severe, the second-highest warning level.
Assessments of the terrorist threat level are made by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Center, which is part of MI5.
The Guardian has been shown a letter written by a police chief, which shows Scotland Yard bosses were planning how to respond, just two hours after the Paris attacks started.
It shows “strategic aims” set by Scotland Yard at midnight on Friday and Saturday, including “protect life and maximize public safety,” “maintain public order and peace,” and “maintain community cohesion.” It shows planning to “provide extra reassurance for affected or vulnerable communities including Jewish and Islamic communities,” and to “mitigate fears through providing messages to communities at neighborhood levels.”
It was written by police commander Mak Chishty, who is in charge of community relations. In another letter to community figures, he wrote: “It is with regret, but something we have come to realize through experience, that hate crime can increase in these difficult times.”
The Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, said: “Officers are working closely with London’s communities and businesses to offer reassurance and advice following the horrific attack in Paris.”
