Similar Mistakes to July 7th Attacks Made In Security Test

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Wednesday 22nd February 2012

The MET Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan Howe has told LBC 97.3 similar mistakes that occured during the July 7th bombings have been made during today's mock-up of a bombing at Oxford Circus Tube station.

Thousands of emergency service crews and actors have been staging the attack at the disused Aldwych Tube Station as part of security drills for the Olympics.

The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (Locog), the emergency services and the Government were all involved.

Two and half thousand people are involved in the 48-hour operation, which will see a major emergency on the Underground network as if it was August 8th this summer - one of the busiest days of the 2012 Games.

Speaking ahead of the exercise National Security Co-Ordinator and Met Assistant Commissioner Chris Allison told us it's vital they are ready for anything.

"This is a major part of our testing and exercising programme. Whereas the previous tests have looked at command posts, this is actually testing a large play on the ground and then testing the linkages between that.

"This is responding to an incident at an Underground station all the way through the commend and control centres, the co-ordination centres and into the heart of government - a major part of our testing programme."

But speaking to us this afternoon Bernard Hogan Howe said similar communication problems faced during the 7/7 attacks still need to be addressed after the mock bombing was staged.

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner said he was pleased with how the day has gone he's admitted there is still room for improvement.

"Well we've exercised at various levels. First of all we've made sure that the radios work - that seems to have gone well. We've made sure that we can get the people that are injured and witnesses - that seems to have gone very well. What we've found is that it is very difficult at time to get the information from the front line to those people trying to make decisions. We've seen that a little today but frankly we'd see it a lot in real life."