by Philip Trendall
The attacks of July 2005 killed 52 innocent people and injured hundreds more. They created probably the greatest challenge that BTP had faced since the war. The first response of BTP officers working with colleagues from other emergency services and London Underground staff was in the highest traditions of public service. By this I mean that officers were brave – incredibly so- they were selfless, they dealt with victims with compassion and ingenuity, and they turned to face the prospect of further attacks. Some suffer still because of what they did 20 years ago.
Officers of the railway and dock forces have always shown these traits. BTP officers have continued to display them in the attacks that have occurred since.
In the weeks and months following the attacks of 2005 the force was stretched. Internal mutual aid saw officers come to London from all around England, Scotland and Wales. They responded to thousands of reports of suspicious people and packages – any one of which could have been another attack. They did everything they could to protect the public and to ensure a rapid return to a (rather altered) normality. They worked long hours to demonstrate that the British public would not be cowed by the efforts of evil men. Specialist officers from the Counter Terrorism Support Unit at FHQ worked tirelessly employing every ounce of their training. New systems of command (including the so called flying bronze system) were deployed to prevent unnecessary closures of the railway network. Other well established processes (such as that to tackle bomb threats) were shown to be as valid as they had been in the past. As one senior civil servant put it “to function as a democracy we need a capital city that is open, for London to be open it needs a working transport network that is safe – this is why we have BTP”. We were lucky in that the force was led by Ian Johnston – one of the most capable and respected senior officers of his generation. We were also blessed by having the services of an internal advisor who was that rarest of things, a genuine terrorism expert; Mr Adrian Dwyer. Relations with other forces and agencies were excellent. Intelligence and information sharing was first class.
Since the attacks in the US in September 2001 we all knew that it was just a matter of time before a large scale attack took place in these islands. Between 2001 and 2005 plots that had been detected by the Anti Terrorist Branch (as it then was) and the Security Service had often featured an interest in transport in London. Considerable investment had been made by BTP in developing a counter terrorism function that was fit for the new threat. BTP officers and staff devoted time to multi agency and single service planning. For example I recall, with much respect, the work done by BTP’s Kevin Gordon and colleagues at the London Resilience Team on planning for the disaster mortuary. That work meant that the deceased were handled in a place designed to provide dignity and efficiency.
Lessons were quickly shared by colleagues in Spain after the murderous attacks of March 2003 in Madrid and the force maintained close working relationships with agencies in Europe and the US. Such learning benefitted the response and influenced training and policy. I recall being briefed (together with Met colleagues) at Atocha Station in in the Summer of 2003 by officers from the Spanish National Police and thinking about how we would probably have to withstand a similar onslaught.
On 7th July 2025 several memorial events took place. They, quite rightly, focused on the victims of the attacks, but they also publicly acknowledged the work of the emergency services. I was privileged to attend the service at St Paul’s Cathedral. It was a moving experience at the centre of the nation’s historic heart. A beautiful service that included a declaration by leaders of different faiths of their commitment to fighting extremism. I found myself surrounded by men and women, some still serving and many more now retired, who did so much in those dreadful days and weeks to protect the public and to assist those in need. I know that many of them also served at many other horrible incidents, always placing duty before self. I know that this is also true of officers of every generation and I regard myself lucky to live in a country where the concept of public service is upheld and passed on. In our constitutional settlement police officers swear to serve the King knowing that in practice that this manifests itself as a commitment to the public good in a way that is non political and devotional .
2005 is an important milestone in our national history, in the history of the emergency services, in the history of the police and especially of BTP. When I reflect on those days and on the 20th anniversary I think of those that lost their lives because of the hatred of a few. I also think on why I am proud to have been a police officer and especially proud to have been a member of the British Transport Police.
A copy of the order of Service from St Pauls will be deposited in the collection of the British Transport Police History Group for future generations to know what those who came before them had to face.
Philip Trendall
July 2025