Nicola Sturgeon details response to terror threat and says military won’t be deployed on Scottish streets at present

FIRST MINISTER Nicola Sturgeon has addressed the Scottish Parliament this afternoon following the increase in the terror threat level.

Sturgeon, who will visit a police response centre set up in Govan this afternoon, outlined the practical implications of the response to the attack and Operation Temperer.

She told MSPs that Police Scotland have effectively double the number of armed response vehicles on patrol since Monday night .

“The public will see more armed policing on the streets than usual, particularly at transport hubs and around city centres,” she said.

“I want to be clear that this represents a specific response to the increased threat level.

“It should not indicate a more general or long term shift in Scotland to having more armed police on regular patrol.”

Ms Sturgeon said that at present, only the first phase of Operation Temperer had been authorised, which means that military personnel will only be used at Civil Nuclear and Ministry of Defence sites in Scotland.

She said: “There are a total of 12 such sites in Scotland, nine Ministry of Defence and three civil nuclear sites.

“These sites, which are not accessible to the general public, will be secured by the military as of today.

“The presence of military personnel at sites of this nature both in Scotland and across the UK will free up the armed police who are normally on duty there and these armed police will create a contingency resource which can be deployed across the UK.”

She added: “We do not currently envisage that military personnel will be deployed on the streets of Scotland or in other public locations.

“However, as with all operational matters, this will be kept under review by the Chief Constable.”

The First Minister stressed that the aim is to allow public events to continue as normal.

Ms Sturgeon added that people attending events such as the Scottish Cup Final and the visit of Barack Obama to Edinburgh will see additional safety precautions and armed police in operation.

She urged attendees at these events, as well as the Edinburgh Marathon, Lisbon Lions tribute night and any other large gathering, to allow extra time for their visit and to be prepared for full-body searches.

“This is clearly an anxious time – but there is no need to be alarmed,” she said.

“Many of the steps that are being taken now are precautionary – and I repeat, there is no intelligence of a specific threat to Scotland.

“However, I do ask the public to be vigilant and to report any concerns or suspicions that they may have to the police.”

Concluding her statement, Ms Sturgeon said that Police Scotland are providing support to families affected by the attack, including those of Laura MacIntyre and Eilidh MacLeod.

She said also that all seven people who had been in hospitals in Scotland with injuries relating to the attack had been discharged.

Anyone requiring support should contact GPs or their health board who have been provided with additional advice and resources.