Police officers patrolled central London in greater numbers than usual on Thursday, in an effort to reassure tourists and shoppers after the multiple stabbing in Bloomsbury.
Patrols included firearms officers, although few walked the streets openly; most visible officers carried batons and CS sprays in their belts.
Two armed officers posted outside the National Portrait Gallery on Trafalgar Square during morning rush hour said there would be many armed police around central London throughout the day. Policing would focus on crowded areas where an attacker could do the most damage, one said.
They carried semi-automatic carbines over their chests; in their belts were holstered Glock pistols, Taser stun guns, CS spray and batons.
“We deal with everything from having strong words with someone to lethal force,” one said.
Around the British Museum in Bloomsbury, near the scene of Wednesday night’s attack, patrols could be seen on almost every street, as well as in the courtyard in front of the museum.
Two officers who spoke to the Guardian said it was their usual beat and they were not aware of any armed officers nearby.
Police were also stationed near most tube stations and at major rail terminals throughout the city centre, although officers remained discreet on the concourses. Four police vans, each full of officers, were parked outside Marylebone station.
One officer said: “It’s because of what happened last night. We’re not expecting anything bad to happen. These are literally just reassurance patrols.”
Asked if they were waiting to go out on patrol or whether they were just going to sit in the van, he answered: “Just waiting for now.”
Earlier, the Met assistant commissioner Mark Rowley, the UK’s most senior counter-terrorism officer, urged the public to remain calm, alert and vigilant.
He said: “This attack will of course still cause concern and as a precautionary measure we have increased the number of officers out on the streets today and that will continue for as long as necessary.”
Although police said later the Russell Square incident did not appear to be linked to terrorism, Rowley paid tribute to the officers who attended at the scene: “Our firearms officers bravely rushed to that scene with very little information. They would not have known if this was an act of terrorism or the random attack we now know it to be.
“They detained an armed and dangerous man and resolved it using the minimum necessary force – no shots were fired. We should be proud of them and the British tradition of using the minimum necessary force.”
He added: “I want everyone who is out and about in London today – our residents, businesses or visitors – to know that the Met is totally committed to doing everything we can do to protect you.”
