LONDON, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Britain's Scotland Yard is warning it needs additional manpower and money to effectively fight terrorism threats.
The caution, made by a senior official in an interview with The Times of London, was in effect a short across the bow of the Blair government, which had previously promised police they would receive whatever resources necessary.
The government has pledged about $232 million to the war on terrorism, but at least $146 million of that would likely go to domestic and foreign intelligence services. The remainder would have to be split by police and other government agencies, the newspaper said.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair has already said police ranks are too thin and more recruits are needed to be trained and in place by the spring, when new anti-terror procedures will be in place.
Allocation of the new funds will take place in January.
Suicide bombings in London by Islamist militants killed 52 people last July. A second series of bombings that month fizzled when the main explosive charges failed to detonate. Police have indicated they have thwarted three other credible terrorist threats since then.
