Security meeting on Paris attacks: 12 January 2015
The Prime Minister held a security meeting to review the Paris attacks and the risks to the UK of a similar attack.
A Downing Street spokesperson said:
The Prime Minister held a security meeting in Downing Street this morning to review the Paris attacks and the risks to the UK of a similar attack.
Following an intelligence update, they discussed the UK’s preparedness for similar incidents. The relevant police and agencies regularly carry out exercises to test their response to a terror attack, including scenarios similar to the incidents in Paris. The meeting agreed that for future exercises, the relevant agencies should identify whether there are any further specific elements of the Paris attack that should be built into the exercise scenarios. The Prime Minister also asked the police and military to continue to work closely together to ensure that the police can call on appropriate military assistance when required across the country.
They also discussed the risk posed by firearms, agreeing that our existing tough firearms laws are a very important part of the protections we have and that we should step up our efforts with other countries to crack down on the illegal smuggling of weapons across borders.