Security Increased Ahead of London Marathon

April 20, 2013

Police numbers will be up by 40 percent in the wake of the deadly Boston bombing.

Security personnel use sniffer dogs to check vehicles at the Mall in central London on April 20, where the London Marathon finish line will be.

A ring of steel will be put around tomorrow's London Marathon, with police numbers up by 40 percent in the wake of the Boston bombing.

Several hundred bobbies are due to patrol the streets of the capital just days after two blasts in America killed three and left more than 180 injured.

The operation will see the Metropolitan Police link up with officers from both the City of London and British Transport Police forces along the 26.2-mile route.

Chief Superintendent Julia Pendry, who is head of marathon security, said: "I have increased the number of police since the atrocities in Boston.

"The additional resources will provide reassurance for people who come to London on Sunday, so that they feel safe when they are in the city.

"I want people to enjoy coming to watch their family and friends take part in the marathon." She said British detectives had been working closely with their US counterparts since Monday's bloodbath in Massachusetts.

But she insisted it was "business as usual". She added: "We are speaking to the FBI, Boston Police and terrorist agencies all the time."

She added that the UK's terror threat level remained unchanged, but officers would be using stop-and-search powers amid tight security on the route of the marathon.

There will be a 30-second silence at the start of the race and runners will wear black armbands in memory of the Boston victims.