Tuesday 30 Jun 2015 - 23:38 Makkah mean time-13-9-1436
London, (IINA) - Police and spies staging a mock 'marauding terrorist attack' on the streets of London Tuesday to test how emergency services deal with a deadly atrocity in the wake of the ISIS killings in Tunisia, Daily Mail reported.
In the biggest exercise of its kind ever staged, Operation Strong Tower is a 'noisy and visible' practice run for more than 1,000 Met police, armed forces, transport workers and Whitehall officials. Details of the plan were made public to prevent panic, as police chiefs said it would include 'live play' of a terrorist attack at a tube station, days before London marks 10 years since the 7/7 bombings which killed 52 people.
The extraordinary public display of how the UK's security services would respond to an extremist's deadly assault comes as efforts continue to identify British holidaymakers killed by an ISIS gunman on Friday. David Cameron said today's operation will 'test and refine the UK's preparedness for dealing with a serious terrorist attack'. The two-day training exercise begins in central London this morning to see how a large number of agencies work together in the face of a chaotic and dangerous situation.
Ms de Brunner, the exercise director, said: 'The exercise is designed to test command control and coordination of a multi-site marauding terrorist attack.' The first officers to arrive on the scene of the fake terror attack will be 'put through their paces by mounting an operation to contain the area, evacuate the public, rescue and treat the wounded, manage a crime scene and importantly catch the people responsible', the Deputy Assistant Commissioner said.
Met Police Commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, said: 'The threat level for terrorism has been raised over the last year and it is vital that we train and we learn. 'Today's exercise will test our people in how to respond to a terrorist threat and we will learn from the mistakes that we are bound to make today. It's best we make them today in an environment were we don't have terrorists, than make those mistakes when we do.
Sir Bernard added: 'The reason we have exercises like today is because, obviously, we are concerned there are people planning terrorist events. We intend first of all to stop them from getting to attack. But should we not stop the terrorists in their planning, it's essential we disrupt them in any of the attacks that may take place.'
It will include 1,000 Met police officers and staff, as well as teams from ambulance and fire services, Transport for London, the Home Office, Cabinet Office, Foreign Office, Department for Transport, Ministry of Defence, Department of Health, NHS England and the Department for Communities and Local Government. However, police and intelligence services believe the biggest threat against Britain comes from an attack by a 'lone wolf' who is not connected to any wider terror cell.
Police have had to draw up plans on how to respond to an ongoing gun attack, in which the perpetrators target dozens of people in public areas over a long period, as seen in Mumbai in 2008.
SM/IINA
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