Last night the Prime Minister confirmed that the national terrorist threat has been raised to critical.
This means that an attack remains highly likely but a further attack may be imminent. At this time there is no intelligence to suggest a specific threat to the Thames Valley.
Our priority is to protect the communities of the Thames Valley and visitors to our area. Overnight we have put in place additional armed and unarmed officers at key locations. This is very much focused on crowded places, including transport hubs and shopping centres.
Do not be alarmed if you see more armed police officers both on foot and in vehicles. For operational reasons we are not confirming details of locations, tactics and numbers of police officers on duty to ensure the effectiveness of our deployments.
We will continue to work with our partners and event organisers to assess the planned events where we may need to enhance our presence.
Deputy Chief Constable John Campbell said:
“I would like to reassure you that the move to critical is something that we prepare for. We will continually review our deployments and take all possible steps to keep people safe within Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire.
“At this time we need everyone to remain alert but not alarmed. We need your help to help us protect our communities and disrupt those who seek to harm us. I would urge you to contact the police straight away if you believe that someone is acting suspiciously.
“Our officers and staff will continue to provide a visible presence in our communities and we have the specialist resources in place to respond in an emergency.”
- If you see anything that causes you concern then let us know immediately, if you have suspicions about someone’s behaviour, call the police on 101, the anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321 and in an emergency you should always call 999.
- A webpage with advice for victims and those affected by the attack in Manchester has gone live on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/manchester-attack-may-2017-support-for-people-affected
- The latest guidance on recognising the terrorist threat and remaining vigilant can be accessed via www.nactso.gov.uk
- For further information about reporting suspicious behaviour visit https://act.campaign.gov.uk/. If you get caught up in the unlikely event of a weapons attack we urge you to follow the Run, Hide, Tell advice.