London holds anti-terror exercise

More than 200 police officers and police support staff in London took part in a major exercise Sunday on the River Thames to test their response to a terror threat on the British capital.


London's Metropolitan Police along with emergency services, carried out the first joint major live-play exercise on the river while thousands of people look on.

A spokesman at Scotland Yard more than 200 Met police officers and staff took part in the exercise, code named "Exercise Anchor".

The scenario involved a group of terrorists hijacking a passenger pleasure boat on the Thames and taking a number of hostages, to travel up the Thames to Central London to carry out a terrorist attack.

It was designed to test the response and command and control protocols of emergency services, working with maritime partners, in dealing with this kind of situation in a marine environment.

   [Xinhua/China]

20/3/17