Honour for man at centre of London terrorist attacks

A BRAVE police officer from Kidderminster has been recognised for his quick-thinking and courageous work during London's July 7 terrorist attacks.

Supt Willie Baker, of Aggborough, received a special police commendation for outstanding leadership, dedication to duty and profess- ionalism in discharging his duties at Russell Square underground station during the bombings that rocked the country last summer.

He is the only member of the British Transport Police to be honoured following the attacks that claimed the lives of 52 people and injured hundreds .

In an exclusive interview with the Shuttle/ Times & News, Supt Baker spoke for the first time about his experiences on the day dubbed 7/7 and the dedication of his team.

Supt Baker was working at his base at Euston underground station when he was first alerted to a problem at Aldgate and Kings Cross on July 7.

The authorities first suspected there had been a train crash or a power surge but, within minutes, it became apparent it was a planned attack by terrorists.

The 47-year-old, who was a chief inspector at the time of the bombings, said: "If you could draw a line from east to west, Euston would be in the middle, after Liverpool Street, Russell Square and Kings Cross.

"I didn't know, at that point, how many explosions we were dealing with but my thoughts were that Euston could be next and I made the decision to evacuate the station immediately.

"Within seven minutes, the station was empty but this couldn't have been achieved without the quick-thinking and the strength of the team. There is so much glass at Euston that if a bomb had gone off the results could have been quite catastrophic."

He took charge of organising the deployment of officers and cordons and co-ordinated resources on the fateful day.

Supt Baker added: "We evacuated a good couple of thousand people from Euston station before I went to Russell Square and Kings Cross, where I ensured correct systems were put in place and the area was cordoned off.

"I saw many humbling sights that day, with senior medical personnel working extremely hard, and many police officers were visibly shaken.

"People across the country can take a lot of reassurance from the joint efforts of the emergency services that day, who all came together and worked extremely well to do exactly what we are trained to do."

Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, presented Supt Baker with his commendation at the Peel Centre - the Metropolitan Police Training Centre - in Hendon last week.

Supt Baker, who also received recognition for his role in dealing with the aftermath of the Paddington rail disaster in 1999, was promoted to superintendent last month.

He was joined by 150 other police officers at last week's awards ceremony.

Speaking before the ceremony, Sir Ian Blair said: "I am proud of each and every one of our staff. They have a tough job to do in difficult and sometimes extreme circumstances and this ceremony is all about recognising that and saying thank you, not just to them, but also to the families and friends who support them."