London, July 31 : Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has warned that a terror attack in the UK is a matter of "when, not if" implying that terror attacks may be carried out in Britain in near future.
Sir Bernard has said he cannot promise that an attack will not take place despite being the man in charge of preventing them, reports the Independent.
He said that he could instead offer reassurance by explaining what the police and security services are doing to protect the public.
Speaking of the terrorist atrocities that Europe has witnessed recently, he said: "I feel and understand that fear, and as the police officer in charge of preventing such an attack I know you want me to reassure you.
I am afraid I cannot do that entirely. Our threat level has been at 'Severe' for two years. It remains there." He added that a terror attack is "highly likely" to happen and that it is just a matter of time.
Explaining the work of the police, he pointed to the number of terror plots that had been foiled since the murder of Lee Rigby in May 2013 and added that the relationship between the police, MI5 and MI6 was a "world-beater" which has given the UK an intelligence advantage.
He further said the nation's gun control laws helped make it difficult for terrorists. The Commissioner added: "Now our resilience has increased as all Met officers who carry a gun have been trained to go forward and take the initiative, in the face of a new terrorist threat.
Meanwhile we are training hundreds of extra officers so they are ready to supplement our numbers during an attack similar to that seen in Paris.
This increases overall numbers of firearms officers by 600 to 2,800." He also urged the people not to be afraid in such desperate times and instead fight it in their own way.
"Yes, these can feel like dark and desperate times, I feel that too sometimes, but defeating this terrorism is as much about refusing to be afraid as anything else, refusing to change our beliefs, our values or our way of life," he said.
Source: ANI
