Scotland Yard today demonstrated a new "go forward" approach for firearms officers in the event of a terror attack in the UK, formulated in the aftermath of 2008 Mumbai terror attacks which involves ignoring the injured or dying civilians to take out terrorist gunmen.
"It's not about standing back but about going forward. We are asking them not to give first aid to people injured and it may be their colleagues as well," said Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Patricia Gallan.
"The most important thing is to actually get to the threat and stop them killing additional people, and that is why we've got to keep going forward and not tend to those that are injured at the time," she said.
She was speaking after an exercise at an undisclosed location here to test the way armed officers would deal with an incident in a shopping centre.
This routine training was arranged before the Paris attacks, which claimed 130 lives.
The firearms tactics were made public for the first time after the training exercise this week, although the approach has been used since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which was the first time terrorists launched a coordinated attack across different parts of a city.
There are more than 2,000 firearms officers in the Met and Gallan said there was a "very good possibility" there would be an increase in the number of officers trained and authorised to carry guns.
The training exercise simulated a group of terrorists armed with guns and bombs storming a shopping centre.
It took place in the financial heart of London and was part of annual training for the Met's authorised firearms officers.
Armed response patrols in London have been stepped up since the attacks in Paris last month.
The terror group calling itself Islamic State (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the shootings and suicide bombings, which targeted a concert hall, bars and restaurants in the French capital.
