UK on alert: The Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir John Stevens, and London's Lord Mayor, Mr Ken Livingstone, have combined in a fresh appeal for public vigilance after warning that a terror attack on the capital may be inevitable, writes Frank Millar in London
In a chilling assessment of the threat now facing Londoners, Sir John suggested there was "an inevitability that some sort of attack will get through" while stressing it was his job "to make sure that does not happen."
Mr Livingstone said it would be "miraculous" if London escaped attack: "There are people out there who want to take life in the hundreds and thousands."
As police considered introducing baggage checks at mainline railway stations in the wake of the Madrid bombings, Sir John said the UK's security services were working "three times harder than ever" to foil a possible attack, while making clear the current alert extends beyond the transport system to pubs, clubs, buses and the streets.
Sir John disclosed that the threat assessment against London's Heathrow airport is reviewed on a daily basis and that there have been 520 arrests in the UK since September 11th - with half of those charged with an offence and about 90 due to go through the courts in the next 12 to 18 months.
"We do know that we have actually stopped terrorist attacks happening in London but, as the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary have said, there is an inevitability that some sort of attack will get through but my job is to make sure that does not happen," the commissioner said.
Urging continuing public vigilance, Sir John said: "We are not talking about the Tube and rail system. We are talking about London generally. We are talking about buses, anything seen of suspicion in clubs. . . . This is a general request to be alert."
At the same time he urged the public not to panic, stressing that London had one of the most sophisticated CCTV systems in the world. "A major catastrophe in London will not be easy to handle. None of them are but we have major experience over the last 32 years and we will take action," he said, adding: "If terrorists do get through and commit an offence, we must make sure we arrest them and deal with them as soon as possible."
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's PM programme last night, Sir John also said he believed the government had "the balance about right" in terms of existing anti-terrorism laws, while allowing that questions about lowering the burden of proof to secure convictions had "to be looked at" in the context of ongoing security assessments of the level of threat.
According to an opinion poll published yesterday 75 per cent of Britons feel "more vulnerable" to terrorist attack because of the government's decision to join military action in Iraq.
However, the reassurance for Mr Blair - ahead of another massive anti-war demonstration in London on Saturday to mark the first anniversary of the invasion - was that 48 per cent those surveyed for Sky News still felt Britain was right to go to war.