Armed cops on streets in Scotland
ARMED police were visible at vulnerable locations across Scotland yesterday after the threat level was raised to critical.
The move resulted in troops being deployed to protect key sites south of the Border.
But the Army in Scotland have not yet been asked to enact phase two of Operation Temperer, which would see soldiers bolster civilian police activities.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the appearance of more armed police on the streets was “a specific response to the increased threat level”.
But she emphasised it should not be seen as a more general shift to having armed police on regular patrol in Scotland.
Sturgeon told Holyrood’s resilience committee: “Military personnel will be used at civil nuclear and MoD sites.
“The presence of military personnel at sites of this nature will free up the armed police who are normally on duty there and these armed police will create a contingency resource which can be deployed across the UK.”
She added that Police Scotland have about 600 trained firearms officers and the number of armed response vehicles on patrol had been doubled since the terror attack in Manchester on Monday.
Sturgeon said the public were likely to see more armed police on the streets than usual, particularly at transport hubs and city centres. But she added: “We do not envisage that military personnel will be deployed on the streets in Scotland or in other public locations.”
Police Scotland are reviewing upcoming public events including the Scottish Cup Final, the visit to Scotland of former US president Barack Obama, the Edinburgh Marathon and the Lisbon Lions 50th anniversary concert.
Chief Constable Phil Gormley said: “We will increase the security footprint around those events where appropriate.”