Merton police have put out a statement confirming that there will be an “increased police presence and further security checks” in response the critical threat level in the UK.

In a statement posted to Twitter, borough commander Chief Superintendent Steve Wallace said:

“We are supporting the national response as we move to critical and are reviewing all our local events.

“Expect to see an increased police presence and further security checks including those by other agents. I thank you for your continued patience, vigilance and support for all my staff.”

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has increased police numbers and operations across the Capital with immediate effect.

Commander Jane Connors, leading the London policing operation, said:

"We will do all we can to protect the Capital that we serve at this unsettling time. All our work is designed to make our city as hostile an environment as possible for terrorists to plan and operate.

"The reality is that we must be prepared to be able to respond to and deal with armed and deadly attackers, so we must be in a position to respond with firearms officers who will use force to stop those attackers in their aim. That is why is we have increased the number of firearms who are on duty, both out walking and in roaming patrols, at fixed points and carrying out a range of operations.

"We are using every tactical option - not just through the use of armed officers but ongoing work by the Counter Terrorism Command; working with partner agencies and gathering community intelligence.

"Whilst some of what we are doing will be obvious to the public there is a huge amount of work happening day and night that the public will never know about."