DUMBARTON and the Vale's top cop has told the public to "be vigilant" while police work to ensure events in the area are safe following the Manchester terror attack, a council meeting has heard.

Chief Superintendent Grant Manders addressed fears at today's Community Planning West Dunbartonshire Management Board meeting just hours after Prime Minister Theresa May raised the country's terror threat to critical.

The Divisional Commander told members – including Councillor Jonathan McColl, council leader, West College Scotland and SPT – the force had plans in place to secure the area against a potential attack, adding he couldn't "go into detail" on all of them.

Officers in the area will be scouring CCTV and assessing the safety of upcoming events over the coming months to ensure the public remain safe.

He said: "What that looks like for us might be very different from what it will look like in Glasgow city centre, Manchester itself and the likes of London.

"We move to a thing called 'Operation Temperer' which means the military will be supporting the police and that then frees up police officers, particularly a finite armed resource, to do business as usual.

"In terms of what the public will see, it will be that. For example, the cup final will have a very different look in terms of what we thought last week."

However, Chief Supt Manders reassured the meeting that there was no intelligence to suggest a terror attack would occur in West Dunbartonshire and Police Scotland were simply reacting to a UK-wide threat.

Chief Supt Manders added: "Advice to the public is be vigilant and advice to security services would be increase bag searching and body searching.

"There are clearly issues for us in terms of military sites in the area, but that doesn't necessarily mean West Dunbartonshire."

Cllr McColl offered the full support of all other partners present in helping officers carry out their work to prevent another atrocity following the Manchester Arena attack which left 22 dead after a suicide bomber set off a device moments after an Ariana Grande concert concluded on Monday, May 22.

Around 5,000 troops are now set to be deployed on streets across the country and will guard "key sites" such as Buckingham Palace.

Ms May said: “You might also see military personnel deployed at certain events, such as concerts and sports matches, helping the police to keep the public safe. In all circumstances, members of the armed forces who are deployed in this way will be under the command of police officers.

“Precisely how the military and armed police officers will be deployed is an operational decision for police commanders.”