Manchester attack: What is Operation Temperer?

Secret security measure activated for first
time since 2015

In Depth

The Prime Minister said the move warranted the deployment of
armed forces in a response known in Whitehall as Operation
Temperer.  

What is Operation Temperer?

Introduced in 2015, Operation Temperer is a government
security measure that allows up to 5,000 armed soldiers to be
deployed on the streets to assist police in protecting against a
terror attack.

The plan, which the Daily Telegraph says had been kept secret
until it was accidentally leaked to a newspaper, means soldiers
will take on the role of guarding sensitive locations, including
railway stations, sports stadiums, entertainment venues and
national landmarks. This will free up police resources, enabling
armed police officers to watch other key sites.

May stressed that the military will be under the command
of the police, who reportedly requested the support of the army.
 

For security reasons, details of the locations of deployments
and infantry units involved have not been revealed. However, the
Daily Mirror reports that selected
infantry regimes across the UK have been assigned to a roster since
September.  

Has it been used before?

According to The Independent, this will be the first
time Operation Temperer has been activated. However, both The Guardian and the Daily Mirror report the procedure was
considered in the aftermath of last year’s terrorist attacks in
Brussels, with covert officers offering backup for a visible police
presence at railway stations and airports.

This is not the first time military resources have been
used in response to a terrorist threat. In February 2003, Tony
Blair ordered the deployment of 400 troops and a number of armed
vehicles at Heathrow airport over fears armed extremists were
attempting to bring down an airline.

How long will Operation Temperer
last?

While no time limit has been set, military figures have warned
it may be difficult to justify pulling back armed troops from the
streets without also lowering the terrorist threat level, says the
Telegraph.

This will rest on the assessment of UK intelligence,
including whether any accomplices of Salman Abedi, the suicide
bomber behind Monday’s attack, are identified and
captured.

Since the system was introduced in 2006, the official
terror threat has only been raised to critical twice: once in 2006,
following a failed plot to blow up several planes leaving Heathrow
airport, and then in 2007, when a car crammed with gas canisters
was driven into Glasgow airport. On both occasions, the threat
level was in place for a matter of days.

The Guardian says the government is extremely wary of the
political impact of armed soldiers patrolling the streets and wants
to use them for as short a time as possible.

A pragmatic response or an ignition of
panic?

May said invoking Operation Temperer was a “proportionate
and sensible response”.

Her willingness to take action contrasts with the caution
of her predecessor David Cameron, who was fearful of creating the
impression that “the government had lost control and was imposing
martial law”, says the Telegraph.