Christmas terror threat warning

Sir John Stevens said many terrorist plots had been foiled

The public must remain vigilant to terrorist activity over the festive period, Metropolitan police chief Sir John Stevens has warned.

He said the use of suicide strategies meant the threat had taken a "quantum leap" since 11 September.

The UK has remained on its second highest level of alert for six weeks for "good reason", he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

But the threat did not compare to that being warned about in the US, he said.

New threat

On Sunday, the director of homeland security in America, Tom Ridge, warned that terrorists were planning attacks on a scale similar to 11 September.

Sir John said that while he had not received warnings of that nature, the British public should not be complacent about the threat from terrorism.

"We've been used to Irish terrorism for somewhere in the region of 32 years, specifically in London," he said.

"But the threat is different in terms of suicide attacks... and the actual threat has taken a quantum leap since 11 September, everyone needs to know that."

The Archbishop of Canterbury has criticised detention without trial

Asked if he could quantify how the threat had increased, he said people had "just got to look around the world at places like New York, Istanbul, Bali.

"The fact that people are prepared to give their lives in terms of their so-called beliefs - that has raised the threat in an obvious manner," he said.

Sir John said there was an "immense amount" of activity underway to prevent attacks, and it would increase over Christmas and the New Year.

He insisted additional work by security services had "absolutely" prevented terrorist incidents, and praised the Met's relationship with intelligence services MI5 and MI6, which he said was "better than ever".

He said 90 people suspected of offences related to terrorism were currently going through the courts.

Terror detentions

Sir John was asked about the reservations expressed by such figures as the Archbishop of Canterbury regarding the detention of alleged terrorist suspects without trial.

Fourteen suspects are currently being held in Belmarsh high-security jail in London under emergency anti-terrorism legislation.

But the police commissioner said he had no reservations about their detention.

"Those type of powers, draconian as they might appear, are absolutely necessary," he said.

He said everyone had the duty to "protect the United Kingdom from terrorism, irrespective of whatever religion we have".