Cops spending £1m on armed response vehicles amid escalating terror threat

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 07:24 EDT, 19 August 2026 | Updated: 07:24 EDT, 19 August 2026 Police Scotland is spending £1million on armed response vehicles (ARVs) amid the escalating terror threat.The Mail can reveal that the massive upgrade of the fleet was ordered because the existing ARVs needed to be replaced.The 4x4s, which store weapons in locked safes, are in use round the clock, meaning they notch up huge mileages.It comes after John Swinney voiced fears in a meeting with senior police chiefs of a ‘lone wolf’ terror attack.The spending was disclosed in a report for the Scottish Police Authority by Police Scotland chief financial officer Sarah Roughead.It said the cash spent on the police fleet was £1.5million over budget, which largely related to ‘additional armed response vehicles approved in year (£1million)’.One policing source said: ‘ARVs haven’t been fully modified for armed policing purposes for more than a decade, when we had modified Mercedes.‘These vehicles are in use 24/7 so there is a lot of wear and tear and it’s not surprising replacements were needed.’ A Police Scotland Volkswagen Armed Response Vehicle in Inverness It is understood there are around 15 to 20 ARVs in Scotland, with one each for the airports at Glasgow, Edinburgh and Prestwick.There are five for the Greater Glasgow area, with the rest spread out across Scotland. ARVs are more likely to patrol the centre of Edinburgh during the city’s Fringe arts festival because of the potential for terrorist activity targeting crowds.The vehicles have two Heckler & Koch G36 assault rifles with 360 rounds of ammunition each, while the two officers are equipped with a Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol and Taser stun-gun on their utility belts.Last week, the Mail revealed fears of a ‘lone wolf’ terror attack in Scotland were voiced by Mr Swinney in talks with police chiefs.The First Minister raised concern about such a threat emerging ‘without prior intelligence’, during discussions with Scotland’s top police officers and ministers.The summit earlier this year came just 48 hours after two Jewish men were stabbed in a terrorist attack in Golders Green in London, fuelling fears over the rise of anti-Semitism.The current threat to the UK from all forms of terrorism is severe, meaning an attack is ‘highly likely’.Former Police Scotland superintendent Martin Gallagher said: ‘It is no surprise to me that the First Minister has voiced concerns about the possibility of a lone wolf terrorist attack occurring in Scotland.‘In my judgment, it is only luck that has prevented such an attack so far.’