Metropolitan Police Conducts Counter-Terrorism Exercise at Brentford FC Ground

The Metropolitan Police conducted a simulated terror attack exercise at Brentford FC’s stadium in west London. This drill aimed to ensure that officers are “prepared and not complacent” and enabled the police along with other agencies to evaluate their response capabilities. This exercise occurred as Friday marked the fifth anniversary of the attack at Fishmonger’s Hall near London Bridge, where Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones were killed by convicted terrorist Usman Khan. Det Ch Supt Kris Wright informed BBC London that agencies participate in scenario-based exercises because “we can always do more and always learn more.” The BBC was granted behind-the-scenes access to this emergency planning exercise, which took place at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium. During the exercise, stadium personnel and police personnel reacted to a hypothetical terror attack scenario targeting a football ground and an adjacent station. A specific scenario within the drill involved an individual armed with a knife and explosives. Det Ch Supt Wright stated that London is in an “incredible position” regarding its ability to respond to terrorist attacks, but emphasized that “we need to exercise and test ourselves.” He further commented that the public “should not be overtly concerned.” He conveyed to BBC London, “I need everyone to be vigilant and report anything out of place but they should be reassured that when we have to do this for real, it’s not the first time we’ve done it.” He mentioned that Millwall FC hosted a comparable exercise last month, from which police gathered “really good nuggets of information” based on the response. Dave Gregg, who serves as head of operations and facilities at Brentford, indicated that the exercise challenged his staff beyond a “normal table-top scenario.” He stated, “We test out processes on a regular basis and while you cannot be 100% sure, I am confident that we are as prepared as we can be for any eventuality.” A review conducted in 2022 by Lord Harris, assessing London’s readiness for a terrorist attack, advised that exercises of this nature should be carried out regularly. The report specifies: “Regular exercising forms the proverbial ‘muscle memory’ which enables those responsible for leading and delivering the response in the chaos of an attack and its aftermath to do so capably and confidently.”