HUGHES SETS OUT PLANS FOR PREVENTION & PROTECTION OF LONDON FROM ATTACKS

12.01.00am GMT Fri 19th Mar 2004

Simon has proposed prevention and protection plans for London

Speaking at the Liberal Democrat Party Conference in Southport later today, Liberal Democrat London Mayoral candidate Simon Hughes will set out his proposals to help reduce the threat of terrorism in London and help protect the public in the event of an attack.

Mr Hughes will call for:

· A reassessment of talks on installing mobile phone access on the deep line Tube network

· The merging of British Transport Police in London with the Met

· The establishment by the Mayor of a dedicated London Emergency Volunteer Reserve Force to assist the emergency services in case of an attack

· Police boxes at every mainline station staffed during rush hour

· Council Tax bills to contain information on what to do in the event of an attack

Mr Hughes believes the merger of British Transport Police in London with the Met Police would provide the capital with greater protection from terrorism on London's transport network through better co-ordination.

In a measured speech to conference, Mr Hughes will also urge

London Underground (LU) to reassess talks with mobile phone networks which would allow mobile access on the deep line Tube system. Mr Hughes will warn that many recent bombs from Bali, Madrid and Iraq have been detonated by ringing mobile phones or texting them.

Mr Hughes will also call for a disaster information sheet to be included with all council tax bills to alert people to what to do in the event of an attack.

Simon Hughes will say:-

"The murder of more than 200 innocent train passengers in Madrid shows there are still people prepared to kill anytime, in any place and anywhere.

"Transport for London and the Mayor must reassess their plans to make mobile phones work on deep-line tunnels in the Tube. Mobile phones are now a cheap and effective long-range detonator for terror groups across the world. Texting is a luxury, security is not.

"Met Police Commissioner John Stevens delivered a dire warning to London this week that an attack on the capital is almost inevitable. If London is hit we must make sure that our emergency services respond quickly and effectively to save lives. That means the Mayor, the Met and the Boroughs must triple check their disaster action plans, must triple check they have the right equipment, and they must triple check the equipment works.

"Now is the right time for the Mayor to create a separate London Emergency Volunteer Reserve which cannot be taken away from the Capital. This reserve would help London's emergency services and work alongside the Civil Contingencies Reserve Force in the event of any terror attack on the capital."

ENDS

Notes to editors

· Cell phones have triggered remote bombs aimed at U.S. troops in Iraq. In addition:

A cell phone was used in the July 2002 bombing at a cafeteria at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem that killed seven people.

In the Bali bombings in October 2002 that killed 202 people, terrorists triggered a bomb with a cell-phone detonator.

Late last year, French police found explosives systems meant to be cell-phone detonated during raids around Paris that dismantled a terror group with ties to al-Qaeda and Chechen rebels.

A car bomb detonated by mobile phone killed 12 people at Jakarta's Marriott hotel in August 2003.

During searches in Saudi Arabia, investigators of the May 12 bombings that killed 35 people found cell phones rigged to detonate bombs.

Figures revealed in Parliamentary answers show that only on the Underground have numbers of police increased. The number of BTP on overground duties has dropped since 2001/2.

British Transport Police Numbers (11 Mar 2004 : Column 1638W)

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many British Transport police officers were based in each British Transport police force area in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04. [160648]

Mr. McNulty: The British Transport police have provided the following information.

Police officers working for British Transport Police

Area 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04

London North 310 311 295

London South 300 324 314

London Underground 405 476 537

London North covers an area as far as Peterborough. London South covers as far south Weymouth.

The increase in the London Underground police is only from increases by the Mayor and supported by the Liberal Democrat London Assembly.

· Council Tax bills that have been posted out this week included a GLA leaflet that gives details of budget forecasts, flood defence in the area, the London Pension Fund Authority and the Lee Valley regional Park Authority, but no mention of what to do in the event of an attack or what numbers to call. Mr Hughes believes that by placing information in Council Tax bills each year would be a cheap and efficient way of getting information to every household across London.