I helped 200 people hide in a pub cellar: Inspector Jim Cole

A police officer has explained how he helped hundreds of people hide in a pub basement during the London Bridge terror attacks, potentially saving many lives. Inspector Jim Cole was one of the first officers on the scene after three men drove a truck into pedestrians and randomly stabbed people in bars around Borough Market on 3 June. Inspector Cole was just about to finish his shift at Peckham police station when the attack happened after 10pm. The father of three raced to Borough Market with his colleagues and was confronted with armed police and a victim with stab wound to the stomach. "We had the situation of people coming running out of the market, they were in a state of panic - lots of screaming," the officer of 18 years told BBC News. "So I literally just grabbed hold of as many as we could and directed them into the basement of the bar. "I felt that was as reasonably safe a place as we had at the moment, rather than roaming the streets."

Inspector Cole said he also chose the large bar so he could set up a medic to treat victims. The attackers had planned to rent a 7.5 tonne lorry but had failed to provide payment details for the vehicle, instead picking up a smaller rental van to carry out the attack.