Millions 'needed' to protect London from terror threat

Scotland Yard's commissioner has said millions of pounds of funding is needed to protect London from terrorism.

Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said "tens of millions" was needed to ensure London was prepared in case of a similar incident to the Paris attacks.

The national counter-terror budget currently stands at £564m, with an additional £130m set to be distributed.

The Home Office said allocation of the £130m was yet to be finalised but all agencies would be provided for.

Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said his force needs funding to make sure London is prepared for terrorism

During the London Assembly's Police and Crime Committee meeting at City Hall, Sir Bernard said the increasing use of online networks was taking up more resources than ever in the fight against terrorism.

The Deputy Mayor for Policing, Stephen Greenhalgh, also raised concerns that the Metropolitan Police was only expected to benefit from £9.4m of the £130m extra funding.

He told City Hall: "They [Scotland Yard] do the surveillance work...and a lot of undercover policing takes place in our capital city.

"So we think it's important that counter-terrorist policing gets its fair share of that additional money and £20m is a good round number."

The Home Office said it would make sure the police and other agencies had the resources they needed to respond to changing threats.

But London Assembly Labour Group member Joanne McCartney said: "It's vitally important that the Met have the resources they need to fund counter-terrorism efforts including more firearms officers.

"Stephen Greenhalgh has said we need an extra £20m from Government. Tough talk alone from the Home Office won't cut it; we need them to put their money where their mouth is."