Met Police: Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe says £25m will be found for 600 extra armed police

The Commissioner of the Met Police Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe says the money will be found to increase armed officers by a third in London in response to the Paris attacks. The force plan to boost armed police in the nation's capital by around 600 officers, a move which would cost in the region of £25m ($36m).

But Sir Hogan-Howe insists this can be done, saying "you've got to do what you've got to do".

He said: "It will be an expensive option, but is vital to keeping us safe. In these circumstances we've got to be able to deal with people who have automatic weapons, who may run around this city and kill people. If we don't do that, we saw what happened in Paris. 130 people died and over 200 were badly injured. No one wants to see that and we've got to take out best steps to deal with it should it happen". He added: "You can never be complacent".

The budget for the Met Police is around £3.1bn ($44bn), and the government has recently announced an additional £34m ($49m) for British policing. However, some have questioned where this extra money for armed police will be coming from, with Labour's shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham warning that it could affect other areas of policing.

He told Sky News, "It sounds like good news but we do have to ask where the money is coming from. If it's taken out of neighbourhood policing so we see police officers come off the beat, or if it's money that isn't then available to other big cities around the country, then that wouldn't be right."

This increase in armed police will almost double the number of officers carry guns around London on any given day. The Met Police will remain 92% unarmed.