Why you may have seen major emergency services presence at Canary Wharf

• Up to 1,000 emergency service personnel and security staff participated in a large-scale counter-terrorism training exercise , codenamed 'Firebird', in London 's Canary Wharf on Sunday.
• The drill simulated a marauding terrorist attack , testing police, firefighters, paramedics, and counter-terrorism investigation teams, and incorporated lessons from the Manchester Arena attack.
• Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Kris Wright stated the exercise was the largest of its kind in modern times and was poignant given Canary Wharf was the site of the 1996 Docklands IRA bombing.
• The exercise aimed to test responses to various attack scenarios, including knife, gun, fire, and vehicle-based threats, and utilised new technologies like drones.
• Officials emphasised that the exercise was not in response to specific intelligence but was crucial due to the UK's 'severe' terrorism threat level, urging public vigilance.

IN FULL

London’s Canary Wharf hosts largest ever terror attack training exercise