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LONDON, Sunday (AFP) London is at increasing risk from suicide bombers, forcing its front line police officers into a policy of "shoot to kill", a British newspaper reported Sunday.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens placed his force on its highest state of alert last week following fresh intelligence from British and US security services that al-Qaeda intends bombing public buildings in central London, The Sunday Telegraph said.

Stevens instructed hundreds of armed officers who patrol the capital to "shoot to kill" if they believe someone is trying to detonate explosives carried on their body or in a vehicle, the paper added.

"He's made it plain that if we think we are facing a suicide bomber, we should shoot first and ask questions later," one senior officer was quoted as saying.

Stevens, the country's top police chief, has also told officers that British intelligence indicates there are more al-Qaeda agents in Britain than previously thought, the weekly said. Extra guidance on countering suicide bombers is being given to London's officers and will be extended to forces around Britain over the next month, it added.

Britain has foiled two major suspected al-Qaeda attacks on London since the start of 2003. In January, police seized the deadly poison ricin from a north London flat. The following month, armed troops and tanks formed a ring around London's busy Heathrow airport following a major security scare.

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