Top cop’s advice if London is attacked: ‘Run away as far as possible’
Warning comes as Met commissioner says mass-casualty atrocity in Britain is a matter of 'when, not if'
A POLICE chief has warned people to “run away as far as possible” if terrorists hit London.
Britain’s most senior anti-terror cop Mark Rowley said people should hide once they can’t flee any further if they want to save their lives.
His dramatic warning comes after Met commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe said it is a matter of “when, not if” a mass-casualty atrocity is carried out in Britain, and Chris Philips former head of the National Counter Terrorism and Security Office, revealed that more than 2,000 people in the UK have links to terrorism.
Mr Rowley, the police national head of counter-terrorism, said: “It may seem blindingly obvious, but some people don’t run, they will duck down where they are, do all sorts of different things in the panic.
“So let’s be really clear — run as far away as possible and when you can’t run any further, hide, and then call the police because we’ve got the people, the resources, the firearms to deal with it.
“It’s very straightforward.
“Every Londoner can help the fight against terrorism, whether it’s being more prepared personally or at work or if you are suspicious about something or someone.
“If you see someone acting suspiciously near where you work then contact us straight away, whether you are working in Canary Wharf or the local high street.
“We say to the public, trust your instincts and pick up the phone to us.”
He added that scores of people are being “drawn back” from extremism every month as authorities mount a huge effort to contain the terrorist threat in the UK.
Counter-terror police receive more than 30 calls a day about suspicious activity from members of the public.
Mr Rowley said: “We are resolving maybe 60 or 70 cases a month, of which about a sixth of those referrals come from the public.
“We are drawing people back from a path towards extremism through partnership activity.
“Even if you take the view that 90 per cent of those people may have self-treated or not gone on to become terrorists, that is still a massive effect, just that one strand of activity.”
His appeal follows a spate of deadly Islamic State attacks in France, Belgium and Germany.
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