After the events in Manchester on Monday night, Prime Minister Theresa May raised the country’s terror threat level from critical to severe, meaning that according to the experts another attack may be imminent.
In response to this, the British Transport Police are taking active measures to ensure this doesn’t happen by enrolling specially trained armed officers to patrol trains. This is the first time in history armed officers will be patrolling the train network in such a way. They have been present on the tube network since December, however in light of the suggestions that bomber Salman Abdei was working as part of a wider terrorist network and the subsequent raise in the threat level, the BTP have now widened the patrol to trains up and down the country. The BTP have released a statement explaining the need for a greater presence of armed officers throughout the network.
Chief Constable Paul Crowther from British Transport Police said, “Since the devastating events in Manchester on Monday evening, our force has radically increased the presence of our officers nationwide.
“By having firearms officers on board trains we’re ensuring that trains remain as safe as possible for passengers. Our patrols will be highly visible and passengers should feel comforted by their presence. Please do speak to them if you have any concerns at all.”
It is not known how long the specially trained firearms officers will be deployed on to the trains, but for the meantime expect to see armed officers coming to a train near you.