Hydrablog

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/27/AR2006072701614.html
Embassy's London Neighbors Take Fears Public
Associated Press
Friday, July 28, 2006; A20 [London] [Britons obviously believe more is coming whether against them or against US is unclear] [interesting piece on UK’s mindset on future terrorists attacks] [follwoup 7/7 2005] [use psci 469] [*********]
LONDON, July 27 -- People who live near the U.S. Embassy accused British authorities Thursday of leaving them vulnerable to a terrorist attack by failing to close two streets alongside the fortified building. [*********]
An alliance calling itself the Grosvenor Square Safety Group took out a two-page advertisement in the Times newspaper of London and The Washington Post accusing the government and police of "moral failure."
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States, some residents of London's exclusive Mayfair neighborhood have said the embassy's security plans put them at risk, with concrete blast barriers protecting the building at the expense of surrounding houses. Many of the houses have multimillion-dollar valuations. [****]
People living near the embassy would become "collateral damage . . . should a terrorist explosive device go off," the ad said. [*********]
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said that security for the embassy is reviewed constantly and that input is sought from residents and the government. "To maintain the best possible flow of traffic in the area, it is essential that only closures considered absolutely necessary are put in place," the spokesman said on condition of anonymity, a police policy. [********]
"We do not believe that London is made safer by closing our streets, one by one, in the face of a perceived threat," [******] said Robert Davis, a spokesman for the Westminster City Council.
The group called the current policy "unacceptable," saying that police and the government have made the flow of traffic a higher priority than residents' lives.
U.S. Ambassador Robert Holmes Tuttle said the spat was a blip in a generally strong relationship between the embassy and its neighbors. The embassy sought closure of the two streets after Sept. 11, 2001, he said, but police objected. Instead, the embassy plans to install posts that can be raised to close the streets in the event of a security threat. [********]
The posts are part of a $15 million security upgrade, due to begin this fall, that includes new guardhouses and a permanent fence.
© 2006 The Washington Post Company