"UK Terrorism-Armed Marshals The general secretary of Aslef, the train drivers' union, Keith Norman, Tuesday proposed for undercover armed marshals to be deployed on London's underground transport system to deter future terrorist attacks.
"I would want to see people on there trained in security and possibly trained in the use of firearms so if they see someone who is possibly suspicious they can actually deal with that," Norman said.
"But they look just like any other member of the public - you don't want someone in a bright blue Tube uniform who is easily identifiable," he told BBC News website
The union leader said that the plan could help to reassure passengers following last month's London bombing and suggested that their role should be also to help train drivers with carrying out procedures if anything happens.
"The mayor of London certainly likes the idea of more people on the trains in a different capacity. You could call them Tube marshals or something like that," he said.
Norman compared the idea with the deployment of air marshals in the US to prevent the hijacking of airplanes in the 1970s"
Er - no. Please. Not that. My recollection of London tube trains is a little out of date but the idea of a gun-toting marshal on a packed-to-the-gills Northern Line train does not fill me with a sense of security. If we accept for the moment the large number of rounds and the odd misses at point-blank range from a trained marksman, the idea of someone playing Glock the Magic Dragon under those circumstances is not a good one. What will be his rules of engagement - the fuss over Shoot to Kill so far makes it likely that they will have to be reviewed. The way things are going we will end up with having to be at your tube station an hour before departure for security clearance, no umbrellas with sharp tips and sniffer dogs adding to the urinal atmosphere.