Britain on alert following Madrid bombing

Sources within the British Transport Police (BTP) in Scotland said the specially-trained officers had been deployed in Glasgow and Edinburgh and on the line between Scotland’s two main cities.

An insider said: "A number of plain-clothed officers who have been specially trained in anti-terrorism measures have been working around stations and on trains in Scotland for some time.

"Any major transport hub is perceived as a main threat and although London is the obvious target, we must not be complacent north of the Border. I am sure this is a policy adopted by officers in all regional transport centres. This specialist-officer programme is obviously being significantly expanded in London in conjunction with more stop and search powers for BTP officers."

News of the secret patrols came as the government announced immediate plans to deploy undercover anti- terrorist officers on the London Underground.

Andrew Trotter, the deputy chief constable for British Transport Police, said a greater number of undercover officers would be deployed on London’s vast underground network. Stop and search checks by uniformed officers are also to be stepped up in the city.

He said: "We know terrorists carry out reconnaissance visits, we know terrorists try to plan in advance. Anyone acting suspiciously has a good chance of being stopped.

"British Transport Police officers are well-briefed and trained. They will be stopping people and observing people. This is very much an intelligence-led operation."

Mr Trotter urged the three million passengers who use the Tube every day to help the police in the war on terrorism.

He said: "Those awful events in Madrid underline just how serious this is and how important it is that we work together. We are trying to employ the eyes and ears of the three million passengers that use the network. That is a lot of people keeping a look out to anything that might be suspicious."

However, deputy chief constable said the terror threat would not prevent the city from going about its business as normal. Extra security measures such as scanners and metal detectors on the Tube system would be unworkable, he added.

"We have to strike a balance between public safety and people going about business as normal," Mr Trotter said. "The easiest thing would be to shut everything but we are not going to do that. London is open for business."

The campaign also includes posters dotted around the system - at a cost of 100,000 - urging the public to be extra vigilant.

Meanwhile, rank-and-file BTP officers claimed they need at least 200 extra officers if they are to patrol effectively Britain’s railway network in the wake of the Madrid bombings.

Alex Robertson, the chairman of the BTP Federation, said his members faced a loss of up to 50 officers because of budget cuts at a time when increased security was vital.

Mr Robertson said there was much to learn from the recent atrocities in Spain.

"This is the lesson of Madrid: we are all targets now. All of us need to work together - the various police forces, the intelligence agencies and our respective government departments - if we are to protect our people," he said.

"Instead, BTP is being starved of the essential resources and police numbers we need to support our specialist skills."

Mr Robertson told Tony McNulty, the transport minister, that BTP should be authorised to recruit at least 200 officers rather than face losing 50 jobs because of impending financial cuts.

He said: "Our budget is about to be hit to make up the pension shortfall and for VAT. What concerns us is that the transport department seems unable to recognise that when it comes to its police service it should adopt a different mind set: one that understands the travelling public’s need for security and which recognises the vital role we fulfil in preventing acts of terrorism."

The British Transport Police currently has 2,200 officers to patrol all the railway and underground networks in England, Scotland and Wales. The majority of its funding comes from train operating companies, not the Home Office.