Fearing execution by Islamists, UK Palace Royal Guards withdrawn from high profile posts. Police officers told not to wear uniforms to and from work since Islamists might attack them-UK Daily Mail

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"Last month, police chiefs warned officers not to wear their uniforms to and from work as Islamic terrorists were looking to target officers."...

12/28/14, "Retreating of the Queen's Guard: End of an era as palace sentries fall back in face of mounting fears of new 'lone wolf' terrorist attack," UK Daily Mail, by Abul Yaher, Mark Nicol

"Security chiefs have taken the dramatic step of withdrawing Royal Guards from their high-profile posts outside palaces amid mounting fears of ‘lone wolf’ terrorist attacks.

Elite soldiers of the Queen's Guard have pulled back from public positions at many landmarks in response to possible threats from Islamic extremists.

For the first time since the height of the IRA’s terror campaign, the soldiers are also no longer allowed on sentry duty alone, and are now accompanied by armed police.

The move to more secure positions behind gates or railings is a direct response to attacks such as the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby and the killing of a sentry by a lone gunman at the Canadian Parliament two months ago.

But the measures have been described as a ‘retreat’ for the Guards, known the world over for their bearskin caps....

At Clarence House, the official residence of Prince Charles, the guardsmen who used to stand in front of the gates on The Mall, a public road, have now been relocated, along with their sentry boxes, behind metal gates. 

Tourists, who love to pose with the Guards, can now barely see them. Police officers confirmed changes had been made for security reasons.

At St James’s Palace, the London home of Princess Anne and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, two Guardsmen used to perform sentry duties beneath its famous clock tower on Pall Mall. 

These guards and their sentry boxes have now been moved into a secluded courtyard inside the perimeter, leaving no visible presence at the clock tower gate....

One Guards insider said: ‘We’re fully in favour as if an attack on a sentry can happen in Canada it can happen here. By moving behind the railings we’ve got a chance to respond, most likely saving lives.

‘The changes were introduced in response to the Canadian attack and because there’s been a sharp rise in people armed with mobile phones trying to wind up the sentries and make them lose their temper.’...

Last month, police chiefs warned officers not to wear their uniforms to and from work as Islamic terrorists were looking to target officers....

Guardsmen carry rifles equipped with bayonets but as a rule their rifles are not loaded with live ammunition. 

The Guardsmen may carry up to six rounds in a belt pouch and may load their rifles in event of a terrorist attack, but that would take valuable time."...

Image: "Elite soldiers of the Queen's Guard have pulled back from pubic positions at many landmarks in response to possible threats from Islamic extremists," UK Daily Mail

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