SAS will be on standby to defend London and Queen’s funeral in UK’s biggest ever police operation
SAS units will support thousands of officers in Britain’s biggest ever policing operation for the Queen‘s State Funeral on Monday.
Scotland Yard said yesterday there had already been 34 arrests as the force, swelled with reinforcements from around the country, braces for a security operation that will dwarf that of the 2012 Olympics.
At least 2,000 officers from neighbouring forces will be on duty beside their Met colleagues throughout the day to form a ring of steel around the capital.
And specialist units from the SAS are expected to be on hand to assist in the event of an attack.
A police officer looks through the sight of a sniper rifle from the roof of St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh on Tuesday, where Queen Elizabeth II is lying at rest
A police sniper team stands guard on the roof of at St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh, before a prayer service the late monarch
An armed police officer stands guard as people leave a Service of Prayer and Reflection for Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul’s Cathedral in London last Friday, September 9
Former head of royalty protection Dai Davies said: ‘The SAS and those trained in anti-terror quick reaction will also be involved.
‘They will be strategically placed in military barracks and around the capital and will be there as the ultimate line of defence should there be an attack.
‘The biggest risk will be the lone wolf or knife attacks from individuals, which are harder to predict. There is always the risk of a car attack too, though there will be barriers that make this more difficult.’
Scotland Yard would not confirm the number of officers who will be deployed across the capital but new commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said it ‘will be well beyond the total size of a force like West Midlands or Greater Manchester’.
Scotland Yard is said to be concerned that the police shooting of Chris Kaba could lead to public disorder during the weekend. A demonstration organised by Mr Kaba’s family is set to take place today in Parliament Square before moving to Scotland Yard.
With hundreds of thousands of people descending on the capital – as well as foreign dignitaries, world leaders, VIPs and the Royal Family itself – the complexity of security arrangements will be beyond anything seen in Britain before, Met deputy assistant commissioner Stuart Cundy said.
Thousands of high-visibility officers will be lining the streets alongside plain-clothes colleagues who will mingle with crowds, as sniffer dogs are deployed at transport hubs.
Snipers will be deployed on rooftops and hundreds of London’s 2,500 firearms officers will be equipped with Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine guns and Glock 17 pistols.
Thousands of high-visibility officers will be lining the streets alongside plain-clothes colleagues. Pictured: Armed police officers patrol the streets ahead of the procession to carry the Queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on Wednesday
Met Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said officer numbers ‘will be well beyond the total size of a force like West Midlands or Greater Manchester’ on Monday
The force has used more than 22 miles of barriers in central London to control crowds and keep key areas secure.
Drones are banned in central London and police have already spoken with 11 people for flying the machines in the past week.
‘This will be the largest single policing event that the Met Police has ever undertaken,’ Mr Cundy said.
‘As a single event, this is larger than the 2012 Olympics, it is larger than the Platinum Jubilee weekend. The range of officers, police staff and all those supporting the operation is truly immense.’
Mr Cundy urged members of the public to be the force’s ‘eyes and ears’ and report anything suspicious immediately.