Deploying armed police on the underground will make the public feel ‘less secure’ claims former top cop
Ex Met Commander Bob Broadhurst warns they also risk having guns grabbed by jihadis
THE Met Police chief who headed security for the London 2012 Olympics says putting armed officers on the Tube 'will actually make the public feel less secure'.
Former force commander Bob Broadhurst said it was crucial police were seen to react to threats like last week's bomb scare at Greenwich but fears it might panic the public.
He was speaking after it was announced armed cops will travel the underground as a counter-terror measure following a station bomb alert.
Firearms officers will now move between jobs on the Tube instead of cars to help reassure the public
But Mr Broadhurst, who served in Met Police for 36 years, fears the move could backfire.
Speaking to , he said: "Police have to react to things like we saw last week [in North Greenwich]. I have no doubt, in the short time, that having more patrols and firearms officers is the right thing to do.
"But in my opinion it only works in the short term before it becomes counter productive and actually makes the public feel less secure unless there is a here and now threat.
"From the officers' view, they don't like people up close to their weapons. People could grab their weapons.
"Londoners are pretty savvy. I think people would be reassured with having officers with no firearms."
The measure was announced in the wake of the bomb alert at North Greenwich Tube station last week.
British Transport Police (BTP) deputy chief constable Adrian Hanstock said: "They will stand out and people will see them. We hope they will provide a reassurance threat and there are able to respond to whatever the threat may be."
He admitted members of the public might be alarmed by the sight of gun cops but said it was a 'risk we are prepared to take'.
BTP chiefs will hold final talks with the Mayor of London and Transport for London before any change is made.
North Greenwich station was closed on Thursday while a bomb squad carried out a controlled explosion on the device.
Damon Smith, 19, appeared in court charged with sparking the security alert.
He spoke only to confirm his name and address when he stood before senior district judge Emma Arbuthnot at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
He entered no plea to the charge of unlawfully and maliciously making or possessing an unspecified explosive substance with an intent to endanger life or cause serious injury to property.