Issued by the Assistant Chief Constable of Wiltshire Peter Vaughan.

Statement - National Anti-Terrorist Operation.

By now everyone will be aware of the counter terrorist operation that has been centred on London and the midlands and which has been taking place since last night.

As is perfectly normal in such circumstances this force has sent a number of officers to London to assist with the very substantial investigation that is ongoing. I know that people will understand that it is not appropriate for me to discuss numbers of officers or what tasks they will be performing. It is equally not appropriate for me to comment on any details of that investigation.

What I can say is that there is no indication of any specific threat within this force area. As is normal there is a need for us all, police and public to remain vigilant to the threat of terrorist activity and not to become complacent  or ignore anything that is suspicious or unusual which should be reported to the police in the normal way. For a long time now as a nation we have had to live with the threat of terrorist activity. We have learnt to be alert to that possibility and this is a reminder that we need to remain alert.

We are fortunate in this force because we have well established links with our local communities and a range of liaison groups that assist us all in identifying any tensions or policing needs. Since very early on in this incident our officers have been working very closely within the community giving advice, offering reassurance and acting on any information. Part of this process will undoubtedly involve more officer visibility but those officers are there to reassure and their presence should not be taken to indicate that they are looking for anything or anyone.

Throughout the day several statements have been issued at government level and one in particular sums up what all of us in Wiltshire should as far as possible be trying to do, that is ‘Business as normal. Keep our eyes and ears open and report anything suspicious to the police’.