THE police commissioner for the Thames Valley has said he is satisfied the force has enough armed officers on the streets of Oxford following the Manchester terror attack.

Anthony Stansfeld said it was unfortunate that so many armed officers needed to be recruited, but added it was ‘clearly necessary’ for them to be deployed across the country.

In an exclusive interview with the Oxford Mail yesterday, the PCC urged ‘everybody to be vigilant’ and to report any suspicious behaviour to the police.

When asked whether he thought cities such as Oxford could be at risk of an attack, he said: “It could happen in any major city.

“Oxford is no more at threat than any other.”

Armed police continued to patrol the streets of the city yesterday as the authorities stepped up their response after Monday’s attack at the Manchester Arena.

The bomb, which was detonated by British-born Salman Abedi, killed 22 people and hurt 116.

Abedi was born in Manchester on New Year’s Eve 1994 to Libyan parents who had fled that country after becoming opponents of Colonel Gaddafi’s regime.

Mr Stansfeld said: “It’s a tragedy that some people who have sort and been given political asylum in this county seek to destroy our way of life, in a country that has been so generous and kind to them.”

Officers carrying rifles were seen at Oxford Rail Station, in the city centre and near the Ashmolean museum.

Mr Stansfeld said there had been a ‘considerable uplift’ in the numbers of armed officers and training of armed officers over the past two years to ‘meet the threat’.

He added: “We have got enough armed officers. I regret it’s necessary to have so many armed, but it clearly is necessary.”

It is understood the Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary Joint Operations Unit has about 270 ‘authorised firearms officers’.

The commissioner said he strongly supported PREVENT, a Government counter-terrorism programme which aims to stop people being radicalised, but said it may have to be ‘bolstered’.

He added: “There may be strands that people may not like sometime, but the broad thrust of it is correct.”

Thames Valley Police said there was no intelligence pointing to specific threats, but asked the public to stay ‘alert but not alarmed’.

Deputy Chief Constable John Campbell said the force was taking ‘all possible steps to keep people safe’.

Yesterday, the country gave a minutes silence to honour the victims.

Tomorrow afternoon, a ‘circle of togetherness’ will be created in Wantage.

Wantage charity champion Ray Collins is helping organise the solidarity event in the town’s market place at 2.22pm for two minutes and 22 seconds, in memory of the 22 killed in the blast.