Police cuts could "reduce very significantly" the UK's ability to respond to a Paris-style attack, Home Secretary Theresa May has been warned.

In a leaked letter, one of the UK's most senior police officers said that mainstream policing was essential in the fight against terrorism.
The cuts are expected to be announced in next week's Spending Review.
The prime minister's spokeswoman said the government would do "everything necessary to keep people safe".
She said the government had protected the counter-terror policing budget since 2010 and had announced further measures to counter terrorism, including extra resources for the security and intelligence agencies.
In other developments:
It is expected that Chancellor George Osborne could announce cuts to the police budget of more than 20% when he addresses Parliament on Wednesday.
That is more than double what the document suggests is viable to keep numbers at the level required in the event of an attack.
Labour has warned that savings above 10% would be "dangerous".
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said he had asked George Osborne to take police cuts out of the Spending Review, while shadow home secretary Andy Burnham has written to Mrs May.
The Home Office said it would not comment on a leaked document.
It's not entirely surprising that days before a big statement from the Treasury, concerns about the impact of the spending squeeze are made plain.
And it's no secret that the Home Office budget is one of the departments in Whitehall that is not protected from the overall cuts.
But in the aftermath of the Paris attacks, political concern over policing numbers has become acute.
Read Laura's blog in full
Former counter-terror policeman Kevin Hurley, now Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey, warned that police responding to a terror attack outside London would be overwhelmed.
He told the BBC: "The people would be massacred. The first responding police would also be massacred.
"And eventually we would mobilise sufficient assets from the police but with major military support."
Police officers only have single shot weapons and would be outgunned by people with automatic weapons like the AK-47, he claimed.
The letter to the home secretary was copied to the Treasury, Number 10 and the security services.
It is understood to have been requested at a meeting of the government's emergency committee, Cobra, on the day after the 13 November Paris attacks that killed 129 people.
The BBC has seen key paragraphs of the document, Implications of the Paris Attack for UK Police Preparedness.
It suggests further cuts to police budgets would affect the authorities' ability to respond to multiple attacks.
Steve White, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We can barely cope now.
"If there are going to be further cuts to the police service, quite frankly, God help us. We are not going to be able to respond to something on the scale of Paris."
The letter cites worries over "surge capacity" - the need to mobilise large numbers of officers and resources in the event of a serious attack.
It says: "It would be remiss of me not to highlight the impact further reductions in police force numbers would have on our ability to manage terrorist incidents of this magnitude, particularly if spread simultaneously across a number of geographical locations.
"Police forces across England and Wales have already seen a reduction of 40,000 officers and further losses will severely impact our surge capacity, which is heavily geared and will reduce very significantly across the country unless a different funding settlement is found."
Speaking on the BBC's Question Time, Mr Burnham said cuts of 5% to the police budget over the next five years were "doable" and between 5% and 10% would be "difficult".
He added: "But go beyond 10%, it's dangerous."
Lord Reid, former Labour Home Secretary, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Cut police on the ground, and you cut the flow of intelligence which is vital for counter-terrorism."
He claimed the "whole police force" could be cut to 115,000 if the cuts go through - saying that same number was deployed in Paris last week.
The most recent figures show there are 124,264 police officers in England and Wales, not including police and community support officers, 6,780 in Northern Ireland and 17,261 in Scotland - a total of 148,305.


Labour has gone on the attack as David Cameron's bid to block Jean-Claude Juncker becoming the next European Commission president looks set to fail.

Britain's main opposition party shares the prime minister's concerns about Mr Juncker's candidacy.
But it has accused him of "mishandling" talks with other EU leaders.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander said he should have focused on building alliances instead of public criticism.
Britain regards Mr Juncker, an architect of monetary union who has spent his career promoting closer political ties between EU member states, as a roadblock to the kind of changes voters are demanding in Europe.
The UK says other EU nations have expressed similar reservations in private about the former Luxembourg prime minister, but any hopes Britain had of forming an alliance to block his candidacy, which is backed by Germany, appear to be fading fast.
Mr Cameron has vowed to fight Mr Juncker's candidacy "until the end" and is planning a last-ditch appeal to the other EU states to stick to the tradition by which Commission presidents are chosen by a process of consensus by all 28 national leaders, meeting in the European Council.
This is the first time the Commission president has been chosen in conjunction with Euro MPs - Mr Juncker is the choice of the centre-right European People's Party, the largest voting bloc in the Brussels Parliament.
BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson said Mr Cameron was "determined to try to snatch a moral victory from the jaws of a certain negotiating defeat" at the EU summit which begins later on Thursday.
"Downing Street wants the story of this summit to be the splendid isolation of one man, one country, fighting for a vital democratic principle rather than the prime minister's total failure to build alliances," he adds.
But Labour is determined that the story of the summit will be Mr Cameron's mishandling of negotiations and failure to build alliances.
"The next 24 hour hours represents a key test for the prime minister and his ability to deliver a candidate that would be acceptable here in Britain and people would want across Europe," Douglas Alexander told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
He added: "The handling of these negotiations have turned a Europe divided over Jean Claude Juncker into a Europe apparently united against David Cameron."
Accusing Mr Cameron of "playing the man, not the ball," the shadow foreign secretary said: "My personal judgement is he was too public, too personal in his attacks, too early, with the result that public criticism got confused with private influence.
"What we needed was to work to build an alliance with countries that were themselves unconvinced by Jean-Claude Juncker's candidacy - countries like Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Hungary, Italy. There was an alliance there to be built.
"But, alas, it appears that the prime minister so badly misjudged his tactics and his strategy that that's not going to become the outcome in the next 24 hours."
He repeated his party's belief that Mr Juncker was not the "ideal candidate" for the EU's top job as he did not embody the "appetite for change" expressed by voters in the recent European elections.
The UK's Europe minister David Lidington said the issue Mr Cameron had with Mr Juncker was not because of his personality, but a point of principle.
"The idea that we're now seeing the bosses of the party factions in the European parliament get together and stitch up in advance the people who the heads of government of the European countries are allowed to vote for is, we think, an abuse of the treaty," he said.
The EU summit starts on Thursday after leaders first commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One in Ypres.
That ceremony will be followed by a working dinner on the EU's long-term policy agenda in Brussels, before EU leaders make a decision on the Commission presidency on Friday.


Surrey lost three wickets in successive overs before rain brought a premature end to the second day's play against Yorkshire at The Oval.

Zafar Ansari and Aaron Finch advanced their stand to 85 before David Willey' yorker bowled the former for 40.
Finch reached 52 before driving Steven Patterson to cover and Willey then had Jason Roy caught behind for nought.
Steven Davies (29*) and Ben Foakes saw Surrey to 164-5, but the rain meant only 16.4 overs were possible.
The most spectacular moment came shortly after Australia batsman Finch reached his half-century off 53 balls, when Willey's perfect full-pitch delivery sent two of Ansari's three stumps flying out of the ground.
However, with less than 50 overs bowled in the match so far, a draw looks inevitable unless the weather improves and the two captains are able to engineer a final-day run-chase.


This week musicians and music industry leaders from across the globe are in Cardiff as WOMEX, the world's leading World Music Expo arrives in Britain.

Each evening Cardiff Bay will become the venue for a world music Showcase Festival featuring a tapas of world music from around the world.
Folk music played a large part in this year's opening ceremony featuring Cerys Matthews and other leading Welsh musicians taking the audience on a journey of Welsh music and culture spanning 30,000 years.
We asked ten of the leading exponents of Wales' folk music to share songs that best represent what makes each tradition so unique.
The earliest surviving manuscript of harp music in Europe - the manuscript of Robert ap Huw, comes from Wales.
"The tablature of the Ap Huw manuscripts provide a vital insight into early, traditional music and his music is still celebrated and performed widely" said internationally renowned harpist, Catrin Finch.
"Caniad Y Gwyn Bibydd" (The Song of the White Piper) demonstrates his music's amazing ability to sound contemporary, even though it was written nearly five centuries ago."
This unique tradition of singing or chanting poetry to harp accompaniment is a direct descendent of the form used by early bards to intone poetry in praise of their kings and princes.
Gwenan Gibard, a musician and leading exponent of the tradition chose the track  Bum Yn Caru Cainc Y Datgeiniad by one of the old style singers, Einion Edwards, from Meirionydd - a stronghold of the tradition for centuries.
Considered by many to be Wales's national instrument, the triple harp was brought to Britain from continental Europe in around 1630. It became popular with harpists in London, many of whom were Welsh and brought it to Wales where it became popular amongst the Gipsy community.
"The 'shimmering' voice of the Triple Harp's three rows of strings is truly as timeless and unique as the Welsh language itself" said Robin Huw Bowen, a full-time professional Welsh harpist specializing solely in the Welsh Triple Harp.
The track Pwt Ar Y Bys (Fingering Vamp) shows off the harp's capability and the Welsh tradition to great effect.
In many parts of Wales Christmas Day meant attending an early plygain service between 3-6am at the parish church.
Singer Arfon Gwilym was brought up in the tradition and explains more: "The plygain tradition survives mainly in Montgomeryshire and takes place in churches and chapels over a six week period during Christmas and the new year."
"After a short service, the plygain is declared open and anyone in the audience can take part, as individuals or as small parties, the most common party being three people, singing in close harmony. The singing is always unaccompanied and in the past was dominated by men who sang in a simple folk style that was unique."
Listen to Ar Gyfer Heddiw'r Bore by Triawd Fronheulog.
Welsh ballads are still widely performed in their traditional forms but new generations of musicians are revisiting them and performing the songs in more contemporary styles, ensuring they remain relevant. In recent years, folk singer SiÃ¢n James has been at the forefront of this movement:
"A ballad which caught my imagination from a very young age was the very beautiful Yr Eneth gadd ei gwrthod (The rejected maiden) - a 19th Century ballad from the Cynwyd area near Bala, which tells the story of a young girl who, finding herself pregnant out of wedlock, is thrown out of her family home by her father, ostracised by her community and left destitute."
"It ends with the girl drowning herself. She is found with a water-sodden note in her hand, asking to be buried without a headstone, so her existence would be forgotten."
Due to the work of enlightened individuals such as Lady Llanover in the 18th Century, a good many of Wales' traditional dance reels (folk dance and accompanying dance tune type) have survived. Stephen Rees is one of Wales's leading folk musicians and musicologists:
"This recording of Pibddawns y Sipsi performed by Nansi Richards, the original 'Queen of the Welsh Harp' conveys the 'hwyl' or spirit of our traditional dance music."
During the Industrial Revolution, migrant workers from across the world flocked to Wales' coalfields, slate quarries and docks. The impact on small, Welsh speaking communities was immense and this period ignited a tradition of mixed language songs known as Macaronic.
Cerys Matthews is a huge fan and chose CÃ¢n Merthyr as one of her favourites. Initially, Macaronic songs were thought to be an oral tradition but handwritten records do exist in the National Library of Wales archives dated 1909.
Its words are said to have been sold on the pamphlet of a ballad-singer at Merthyr Tydfil around the mid-19th Century.
The 1960s and 1970s saw a surge in Welsh language activism. While the rest of the western world was engaged in the hippy movement and the 'summer of love', Wales was rediscovering its folk music and traditions, fuelled by a surge in the popularity of Celtic music.
"We formed Ar Log in 1976, with the dream of being able to earn a living solely by playing traditional Welsh music" said Dafydd Roberts, one of the founding members of Ar Log.
"By the early eighties Ar Log was travelling Europe and North & South America for around nine months of the year with a wealth of traditional Welsh folk music at our disposal, from haunting love songs and harp airs, to melodic dance tunes, and rousing sea shanties."
This medley of traditional folk songs comes from Ar Log's own repertoire: Twll yn y to / Cymro o Ble / Pedwar Post y Gwely
Dafydd Iwan is a singer-composer and political activist and campaigned during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s for official status for the Welsh language with Cymdeithas Yr Iaith, the Welsh Language Movement.
"Songs have been a natural medium for expressing strong emotions and political protest for centuries, and here in Wales there is a long tradition of ballads with a strong social and political theme," he said.
Peintio'r Byd Yn Wyrdd (Painting the world green) grew out of the road-signs campaign for the Welsh language.
More and more young musicians are turning to the folk tradition for inspiration and helping to drive creative experimentation and collaborations.
Welsh poet and singer-songwriter Gwyneth Glyn has recently been working on such a project with musicians from India and singer Tauseef Akhrar from Mumbai and incorporates Indian violin, tabla and Welsh harp.
Another recent project entitled Mamiaith (Mother Tongue), saw Welsh folk group 9Bach collaborate with Australian group Black Arm Band to explore the poignant theme of lost language. Gwyneth chose the track Cariad Mam (Mother's Love) from that album.
Today, musical tradition in Wales is thriving as younger musicians turn to folk music for inspiration but continue to develop it further with rich musical collaborations around the world.
WOMEX - The World's Music Comes To Wales is broadcast on BBC Two Wales, Sunday 27 October at 22:00 BST.


Police have "real concerns" for the welfare of two missing teenagers who were brought into the UK illegally.

The girls, who are both of Vietnamese origin, were living in North Yorkshire and were last seen near York Minster on Sunday.
Thi Phan, 15, and 14-year-old Tram Le, had been in the country for two months and were in local authority care.
North Yorkshire Police said they had gone into the city and had left the care of their foster parents.
Read more about this and other stories from across Yorkshire
Ch Insp Allan Westcott said the girls got into a taxi and left the city apparently of their own volition.
"What we cannot rule out is what has happened to these two girls since," he added.
"We believe they came into the UK down towards Kent, they've been with us two months and came by clandestine means, which is why we have some real concerns for their wellbeing and ongoing welfare.
"The longer these girls are unaccounted for our concerns continue to rise."
He said he could not rule out the girls having been in contact with the people who brought them into the UK and it was a line of enquiry.


Former champion Maria Sharapova kept her hopes of a second French Open title alive with a three-set victory over Australian Sam Stosur.

The 27-year-old Russian, victorious in Paris in 2012, won nine games in succession to wrap up a 3-6 6-4 6-0 victory and reach the last eight.
In the men's draw, Novak Djokovic brushed aside Jo-Wilfred Tsonga 6-1 6-4 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals.
The second seed will next play Milos Raonic, who beat Marcel Granollers.
Tomas Berdych is also into the last eight after a comfortable 6-4 6-4 6-4 win over John Isner. He meets Ernests Gulbis, who beat Roger Federer.
Two men's third-round matches were carried over from Saturday, with Fernando Verdasco seeing off Richard Gasquet 6-4 6-4 6-4 to set up a last-16 tie against Britain's Andy Murray, who beat Philip Kohlschreiber.
Eugenie Bouchard joined Sharapova in the women's singles quarter-finals by beating Angelique Kerber 6-1 6-2 in 52 minutes.
Bouchard, 20, will now play clay-court specialist Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain, who beat Croatia's Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3 6-3.
E Bouchard (Can) (18) beat A Kerber (Ger) (8) 6-1 6-2
"I'm confident, and I really believe in my skills. I believe I can play with the best girls out there," said Bouchard.
"She's top 10, so I respect her. She can play some really good tennis. I was really mentally prepared for anything, for a battle."
F Verdasco (Spa) (24) beat R Gasquet (Fra) (12) 6-3 6-2 6-3
"My objective right now is to rest and prepare the best I can to play this match against Murray," said Verdasco. "I have nothing to lose. He is favourite because of his ranking."
E Gulbis (Lat) (18) beat R Federer (Swi) 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 6-2 4-6 6-3
Full report
N Djokovic (Ser) (2) beat J-W Tsonga (Fra) (13) 6-1 6-4 6-1
"With the support Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has on home soil, I needed to start with a high intensity, good movements and try to get as close to baseline as possible," said Djokovic.
"I prepared well with my team and executed very well. The scoreline was perfect for me and I'm very happy with that performance."
G Muguruza (Spa) beat P Parmentier (Fra) 6-4 6-2
Muguruza said: "I didn't know I was playing against Maria until the guy went to the court and asked me, 'You're playing against Maria Sharapova next round.' I thought, 'OK, it's a tough match again.' Nothing to lose; everything to win."
T Berdych (Cze) (6) beat J Isner (US) (10) 6-4 6-4 6-4
"I think it's a good thing to avoid playing the tie-breaks with him," said Berdych. "That was one of my plans in the beginning, and I'm really glad that it was working pretty good."
A Murray (GB) (7) beat P Kohlschreiber (Ger) (28) 3-6 6-3 6-3 4-6 12-10
Full report
C Suarez Navarro (Spa) (14) beat A Tomljanovic (Cro) 6-3 6-3
"I don't have a ready explanation," said Suarez Navarro about the big names to fall in Paris. "I simply believe that the women's circuit is more and more consistent. We've got to be careful. Everybody plays well nowadays."
M Raonic (Can) (8) beat M Granollers (Spa) 6-3 6-3 6-3
"There was a few moments where I'd be up quite handily on my serve, and I'd sort of drift away for a little bit," said Raonic. "But when I came down to the wire I was playing those moments well."
M Sharapova (Rus) (7) beat S Stosur (Aus) (19) 3-6 6-3 6-0
"She uses her quick serve extremely well to start and set up the point," said Sharapova. "The slice, especially in the conditions that we played in tonight, it was very effective. It stays very low. But with that said, I still was able to win nine games in a row. So, you know, I'm quite pleased about that."
Stosur said: "I was a set all, 40 all, and missed a return in the top of the tape. I mean, I was right there to win it. I actually can't believe from that moment I didn't win another game. How quickly things can turn."
"I'm not big on medical timeouts. I don't like to take it, but I take it when it's really necessary. It probably was my third medical timeout in life." Ernests Gulbis on taking a timeout for his back and his hamstring.
Roger Federer is not overflowing with sympathy. "If the rules allow you to do that, what can you do? There is nothing much. He didn't look hurt in any way. But if you can use it, you might as well do it."
"We all have choices. I can have a choice to break a racquet and get a penalty. The kid can have the choice to take it or not. I think he did a great choice." Gulbis again, on breaking his racquet and giving it to a boy in the crowd.
"I didn't go through happy moments today. It was not fun for me." Jo-Wilfried Tsonga could do with a pick-me-up after an afternoon with Novak Djokovic.
"Best friend on tour? I don't have one. I don't think the tennis tour is the place to have friends. For me it's all competition." No messing about from Eugenie Bouchard.
Maria Sharapova has been thinking along similar lines for years: "I know that what has got me my success is the fact that I'm a big competitor and that I don't want to give anyone a chance. I was never here from day one to make friendships. This is a battlefield for me, and I want to win."
Andy Murray had a restless night thinking about his fifth-set shootout: "I didn't sleep much and I woke up quite a few times. I was ready to play at 4, 5 in the morning."
Things were not much better over at Philipp Kohlschreiber's: "My sleep wasn't good, either. I was sweating a lot. If you finish late, you try to recover. You drink a lot, so quite often to the toilet, and, well, it wasn't a great night."
"I'm the number one American now, which isn't as cool as being the number one American in the '90s or something, or the 2000s," said a modest John Isner. "It's pretty neat to say, but it's nothing I would brag about or anything like that."
Isabelle Wallace caused a first-round upset in the girls' singles by impressively beating number six seed Varvara Flink.
The 17-year-old from Scotland took a closely-fought first set before easing through the second for a 7-5 6-2 win.
"Winning selfie with the family," tweets Tomas Berdych, known to some as 'T-Berd'.


The late motorcycle medic Dr John Hinds has been remembered through the unveiling of a poster tribute in Armoy, County Antrim.

Dr Hinds, from Tandragee, was a consultant at Craigavon Area Hospital in County Armagh.
He regularly worked at the North West 200 motorbike races.
The poster has been put on display ahead of this weekend's Armoy road races.
Clerk of the course Bill Kennedy said the poster was created by the event's sponsors SGI International.
Dr Hinds led a campaign for an air ambulance service to be introduced in Northern Ireland.
Mr Kennedy said the poster paid tribute to Dr Hinds and also raised awareness of his family's plans to set up a charity to support his vision for the service.
"It is a tribute to Dr John as a person, he is a loss for everyone involved in motorcycling on the island of Ireland," he said.
"He was a great man in the field of medicine and was always trying to save people's lives.
"This has also been done to raise awareness of the need to get an air ambulance in Northern Ireland.
"As I understand, the family are about to set up a charity to get people involved in the concept of an air ambulance which would not just be for those involved in motorcycling.
"You could not have had a more professional man at his job, Dr John was also a true gentleman."


Classic 1960s cartoon The Jetsons is set to return to screens, but as a live-action series rather than an animated reboot.

The futuristic Hanna-Barbera show, originally set in 2062, followed a family living in a space city.
But would audiences - and critics - appreciate an updated Jetsons with actual people?
Live-action cartoon adaptations on the big screen historically haven't been met with much praise, so perhaps a TV version will fare better.
Here's a look at some of the cartoon adaptations that were probably best left alone.
On paper, a Scooby-Doo movie is a great idea - mystery, suspense, a talking dog and those pesky kids.
Audiences flocked to see it in its opening weekend, but were mostly left underwhelmed.
Empire said: "Anyone looking for sophistication from a movie which features a two minute-long farting contest between man and CG dog is going to be sorely disappointed."
Its healthy box office receipts led studio bosses to make a critically panned sequel two years later.
Originally starting out as a comic, the live action film version was based on the 1950s and '60s cartoons about the friendly ghost.
"Duller than a dead man's eyes," was the Washington Post's appraisal of the film starring Christina Ricci.
While Entertainment Weekly concluded: "The movie version is like the cartoon without innocence - a fairy tale with the soul of a re-run."
Boasting a great cast including John Goodman, Rick Moranis and Elizabeth Taylor, The Flintstones was highly anticipated when it was released.
It performed reasonably well at the US box office and really flew internationally. But that didn't mean people liked it.
"It isn't just awful. It bombs itself into the Stone Age. As Fred Flintstone might have put it: Yabba-dabba-boo," the Washington Post said.
It also spawned a sequel - Viva Rock Vegas - which without the original cast no-one wanted to see, opening to a meagre $10.5m and taking $59.5m worldwide.
The little blue guys who stand three apples high had been a global hit in the 1980s so it was only a matter of time before they got the big screen treatment.
With a staggering $110m budget, you might have expected a cinematic masterpiece.
"103 minutes of utter tripe," was the Daily Mail's mauling, but that didn't stop a $105m sequel in 2013, which effectively bombed in the US, taking $71m.
A movie version of He-Man! A hit cartoon with a massively popular toy range behind it. What could possibly go wrong?
"You couldn't get a more polyethylene performance than Dolph Lundgren gives," the LA Times scathed. "A misfiring, underdone epic."
Possibly the worst performing cartoon to live-action adaptation made, Jem had a hard time from the moment its trailer was released.
Fans were not happy with what they saw and voted with their feet at the box office. Another problem was the young female market it was targeted at were too young to actually know or care about who Jem was in the first place.
It was a disastrous flop, taking just $2.3m worldwide with the critics almost universally found no redeeming features.
"It takes a cartoon that was originally about a group of women who unquestionably held power and turns it into a tale of a meek and weak-willed young woman who is arbitrarily given fame and holds zero agency except for that which is granted to her by the men in her life," Forbes said.
Ouch.
You know a film is bad when even the actors start to distance themselves from it.
And that's what Bill Murray did, famously joking in Zombieland about his voice role in Garfield when asked of any regrets.
BBC Films called it "a misguided attempt to construct a feature-length vehicle around a cartoon creation who was barely tolerable over three panels - the result is not so much catnip as catnap".
Sadly a sequel followed, taking a meagre $7.3m in its opening weekend and $28.4m domestically in the US.
Loved by many in the 1980s, the bumbling Swiss Army knife detective seemed perfect for the big screen.
But the Matthew Broderick film was a box office flop which after costs, wouldn't have made back its budget.
Critics universally panned it, with The Guardian describing it as: "Mad and headache-inducing: boisterous kids will like it; adults might feel the need to lie down in a darkened room."
Another Hanna-Barbera cartoon to be given the live-action treatment, the picnic-stealing bear failed to set the world alight with USA Today proclaiming he "needs to go back into hibernation".
It took $16.4m in its first three days, compared to Tron Legacy's $44m the same weekend.
There were very few positive reviews; most were savage with Empire asking: "What drug did they use on Justin Timberlake to make him sign on as Boo-Boo?"
The film that bucks the trend of failed cartoon/live-action adaptations is Transformers - a franchise which has so far spawned five movies.
Critics were generally split on the merits of the first film - "the script may have rubbery legs, but the action is rock-hard," Empire said.
As the films have gone on, the reviews have progressively got worse, but that hasn't stopped audiences going to cinemas in their droves to see Optimus Prime and his band of Autobots save the world.
The third and fourth Transformers movies both took more than $1bn at the global box office - a figure most movie studios can only dream of.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.


Fernando Alonso is confident he will be in good shape for qualifying and the race at the Indianapolis 500 after the second day of practice.

Spain's two-time Formula 1 champion spent Tuesday's test learning about his car's behaviour in traffic on the 220mph+ superspeedway.
"We keep experimenting on set-up and on running in traffic," Alonso said.
"We didn't put everything together - it's not time to. But I think we will arrive OK to qualifying and the race."
The 35-year-old McLaren driver, who is missing the Monaco Grand Prix to compete at Indy on 28 May, completed 117 laps on Tuesday and was 24th fastest out of 33 runners with an average speed of 221.029mph.
The fastest time was set by Penske driver Will Power in 224.656mph, with the benefit of a slipstream - or 'tow' - behind another car.
Speaking at a news conference before the third practice day on Wednesday, Alonso said: "I'm happy where I am now, but definitely not comfortable.
"So yesterday, especially thanks to the traffic running, I think I was much more comfortable, happier with the position we are now. (But there's) still a lot to come.
"I listen to these guys every day of what they feel, what they test, and I try to replicate the following day, try to have the same feelings of what they have."
Alonso said he was "starting" to understand the effect of set-up changes and added: "I'm not ready yet, but I think I will be for qualifying and the race."
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Preparing the car so it runs competitively in the company of other cars is crucial to success at Indy.
Alonso said that running in traffic "felt as I expected" after his Andretti Autosport team used its five other drivers to help him develop a feel for the experience.
"Obviously, here it is very important to keep close to the car in front of you to take the benefit on the next straight, so it was useful," he said.
"I'm on the best team for that. We are six cars and we were running together. My team-mates were amazing helping me. I knew they were taking care of me in some moments of the run, so that was good.
"It's the first time for me, learning here and there every lap when I follow them, what they do, how they attack the next corner or the next lap, how they prepare the overtaking."
Alonso has three more days of practice this week before qualifying at the weekend.
Saturday is used primarily to determine a 'fast nine' drivers who then compete on Sunday for pole and the other eight leading grid positions.
The remaining 24 drivers also qualify on Sunday, but are competing for the places from 10th to 33rd.


A "futuristic" crazy golf course could be brought to London's Trafalgar Square after a crowd-funding campaign.

London Design Festival is hoping to raise £120,000 for the Visionary Crazy Golf, which has been dreamed up by artists and designers, including the late Dame Zaha Hadid.
Festival organisers say it will be "futuristic, functional, fun and free for the public to play".
Funding permitted, the golf course will run from 16-22 September.
The dates coincide with the London Design Festival.
Members of the public who pledge funds, from £5 up to £5,000, will receive rewards, including clothes and mugs, by one of the designers.
Organisers have until 6 June to raise the money.
The design teams involved include Mark Wallinger, Tom Dixon, Camille Walala, Ordinary Architecture, HAT Projects, Neon Studio, and Atelier Bow-Wow.
Each will create a miniature art installation, as part of the golf course, with each one making a statement about the future of architecture.
Holes include Tom Dixon's, with its funnel and nest of pneumatic tubes through which golf balls will hurtle; a circuitous maze by Mark Wallinger; and a netted driving range by the Japanese studio Atelier Bow-Wow.
The mayor's office has given permission for the scheme if funding is secured.


A team of four experts is preparing to tour the UK to explore how the "gig" economy is affecting workers' rights.

Mathew Taylor, chief executive of the Royal Society for the Arts, was appointed last month to lead the review into the impact of "disruptive" businesses such as Uber and Deliveroo.
New technology combined with new business models has led to a rise in workers doing short-term, casual work.
Many are not eligible for the minimum wage, sickness or maternity pay.
The review will address questions of job-security, pension, holiday and parental leave rights. It will also look at "employer freedoms and obligations".
Mr Taylor will be joined by the entrepreneur, Greg Marsh, who founded onefinestay, a company which helps upmarket home-owners let their properties to visitors, Paul Broadbent chief executive of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority and employment lawyer, Diane Nicol.
The team will be talking to businesses and workers across the UK, including in Maidstone, Coventry and Glasgow. It will look into practices in manufacturing and rural economies as well as the "gig" economy.
"The most important part of our process is getting out and about to talk to businesses and workers across Britain about their experiences of modern work," said Mr Taylor, who was formerly the head of the Number 10 policy unit under Labour leader, Tony Blair. His current role at the RSA think-tank is politically neutral.
"As well as making specific recommendations I hope the Review will promote a national conversation and explore how we can all contribute to work that provides opportunity, fairness and dignity," he said in a statement.
Typically workers in the "gig" economy use mobile phone apps to identify customers requiring delivery services or small practical jobs. The Department for Business says 15% of those working in the UK's labour market are now self-employed.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is also set to launch a research project into the scale of the gig economy, which will examine the motivations of those engaging in "gig" work.
"Helping us to understand what impact modern employment practices have on workers will inform our forthcoming industrial strategy and also help us ensure our labour market and wider economy works for everyone," said Business Minister Margot James.
The government's Autumn Statement earlier this month indicated how the "gig economy" is also  beginning to affect budget revenues, as self-employment and casual work reduce the amount of tax being paid.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimated that in 2020/21 it will cost the Treasury Â£3.5bn.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond indicated he would be looking for more effective ways to tax workers in the shifting labour environment.


Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has insisted he is not ready to quit management, despite saying he is "arriving at the end" of his career.

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The 45-year-old made the comments in an interview with NBC, which was aired last weekend.
Speaking before Friday's FA Cup third-round tie at West Ham, Guardiola said: "Maybe it was inappropriate to say I'm starting to say goodbye to my career.
"I'm not thinking that I'm going to retire."
Guardiola took over at Manchester City in the summer, after winning 14 trophies in four years at Spanish giants Barcelona and three successive Bundesliga titles with German club Bayern Munich.
"I said in the interview that I won't be a trainer when I'm 60. But I'm 45. I'm not going to retire in two or three years," he continued.
"I'm not going to train at 60 because I want to do something else in my life.
"I started playing football young and my career was on the pitch. I want to do something else in my life, but in the next three or four or five or six or seven years.
"I love my job and I'm in the perfect place to do my job especially here in England."
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Guardiola, whose side are fourth in the Premier League, gave an awkward post-match interview to BBC Sport after Monday's 2-1 win over Burnley.
And quotes from the Spaniard appeared in the national newspapers the following day, implying Manchester City are 10 years behind their local rivals Manchester United.
But Guardiola clarified his comments, saying: "When I said to compare the titles with Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid, we are behind. If people don't understand that, I'm sorry.
"In the last five or six years Manchester City achieved more targets and got better and grew the most. It is one of the best clubs in the world by far.
"But in terms of just the titles, winning the Champions League, we are behind other clubs in the last 20 years.
"I never said this club is below the other ones. Of course we are going to fight until the end of the season for all the titles."


Greece's government has agreed a reform programme and will submit its proposals to its international lenders soon, the defence minister has said.

The reforms are thought to include tax rises and pension changes.
Greece is due to present the proposals by 22:00 GMT on Thursday to try to secure a third bailout and prevent a possible exit from the eurozone.
The new proposals will be studied by eurozone finance ministers on Saturday and a full EU summit on Sunday.
Defence Minister and junior coalition party leader Panos Kammenos gave no further details of the agreed plans as he left the prime minister's official residence, where ministers had been meeting.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has spent the day discussing the proposals with his cabinet.
Greek media are reporting that the reforms will be put to the Greek parliament on Friday for approval.
On Wednesday Greece formally submitted a request for an unspecified loan from the European Stability Mechanism bailout fund.
This would be a fresh loan "to meet Greece's debt obligations and to ensure stability of the financial system", Greece says - in other words, to avoid bankruptcy.
The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, who will chair Sunday's EU summit, said he hoped to receive "concrete and realistic proposals of reforms from Athens".
Such proposals "will have to be matched by an equally realistic proposal on debt sustainability from the creditors. Only then will we have a win-win situation," Mr Tusk added.
However the German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that "a classic haircut" (meaning reducing the value of Greece's debts) was "out of the question" for her.
All Greek to you? Debt jargon explained
Speaking in Sarajevo, Mrs Merkel said the eurozone had dealt with the issue of debt sustainability in 2012.
She described Sunday's EU summit as a decisive and important meeting.
"We must not forget that the Greek people are suffering at the moment," she said.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble also ruled out debt relief for Greece, saying "there cannot be a haircut because it would infringe the system of the European Union".
Greece needs to implement reforms to win the trust of its eurozone partners, Mr Schaeuble said. He told a conference in Frankfurt that his message to the new Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos was: "Just do it!".
Follow the latest updates here
The Greek government has meanwhile extended bank closures and the €60 (£43; $66) daily limit on cash machine withdrawals until Monday.
The curbs were imposed on 28 June, after a deadlock in bailout talks with creditors led to a rush of withdrawals.
Louka Katseli, the head of the Greek bank association, said on Thursday that there was enough liquidity in cash machines to serve the public until Monday.
Tsipras, Greece's high-stakes gambler
Why Greece sees France as last hope
How easy is it to swap currencies?
Full coverage of Greek debt crisis
On Thursday, EU Economics Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said he was hopeful of a new deal: "I have the sense that the dialogue is established, or restored, and that there is a way out."
The IMF, lowering its economic growth forecast for the world for 2015, said events in Greece would have a "limited" effect on the rest of the global economy, as Greece makes up just 2% of the eurozone.
What happens next?
European Stability Mechanism explained
Greece's creditors - the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the IMF - have already provided more than €200bn in two bailouts since a rescue plan began five years ago.
The second bailout expired on 30 June.
The creditors had hoped for new, concrete proposals from Greece at a meeting on Tuesday but these were not submitted and they instead agreed to set a new deadline of Thursday.
Greece has been warned this is the "final deadline".
Mr Tusk has said this is "now maybe the most critical moment in the history of the eurozone".
"This is really and truly the final wake-up call for Greece and for us, our last chance," he said, adding that failure "may lead to the bankruptcy of Greece".
Mr Tsipras's Syriza party was elected in January pledging to oppose the harsh austerity measures demanded by creditors.
And on Sunday, the Greek people decisively rejected the latest bailout proposals from creditors in a referendum.
Energy minister and influential Syriza member Panayiotis Lafazanis insisted on Thursday that Greece would not sign up to a third bailout if it brought "harsh austerity, suffering and deprivation to the Greek people".
He insisted Greece had "alternative options to a new bailout deal" and there was "no gun pointed at its head".
Supporters of Greece staying in the euro held a rally in central Athens on Thursday night.


Online marketplace Craigslist is under mounting pressure over the "adult services" section of its site.

Critics say posts on this section are little more than thinly disguised adverts for sex and "facilitate trafficking".
In a paid-for advert in The Washington Post, two women made a direct appeal to the site's founder, saying it wrecked their lives.
A spokesman for Craigslist said the site was being made a "scapegoat".
"Dear Craig," began the letter from a 17-year-old calling herself MC.
"I was first forced into prostitution when I was 11 years old by a 28-year-old man.
"All day, other girls and I sat with our laptops, posting pictures and answering ads on Craigslist," the letter continued.
"I am 17 now, and my childhood memories aren't of my family, going to middle school, or dancing at the prom. They are of making my own arrangements on Craigslist to be sold for sex, and answering as many ads as possible for fear of beatings and ice water baths."
The letter said that Craigslist was now the choice of traffickers because it was "so well known and there are rarely consequences to using it for these illegal acts".
Last year, the site bowed to sustained pressure to shut down its "erotic services" section, replacing the nude images and explicit descriptions with a monitored section and a $10 (Â£6) charge to make a listing.
Critics said this did not go far enough.
Connecticut's attorney general Richard Blumenthal - who is heading up a group of 39 US states examining Craigslist's adult services section - called on the section to be closed.
Earlier this year, the US lawmaker subpoenaed Craigslist, and asked whether it "is actually profiting from prostitution ads that it promised the states and public that it would try to block."
The firm's chief executive, Jim Buckmaster, wrote to the Washington Post saying that his firm was the wrong target.
"Scapegoating advertising services is a very unfortunate misdirection of attention and energy from the tough choices, hard work, and significant investments required for addressing actual causes of, and making actual progress against the scourges of trafficking and child exploitation," he wrote.
Andrea Powell, head of Fair Fund - a group that works with women who have been sold for sex and one of the groups which paid for the advert in the Washington Post - described Craigslist as "the Wal-Mart of online sex trafficking".
"Most of the young people we work with who have been exploited online, they talk about Craigslist. They don't talk about other sites."
The advert in The Washington Post echoes another letter published earlier this year.


The City regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), has shelved plans for an inquiry into the culture, pay and behaviour of staff in banking.

The FCA had planned to look at whether pay, promotion or other incentives had contributed to scandals involving banks in the UK and abroad.
The shadow chancellor said it was a "huge blow to customers and taxpayers".
The Treasury denies involvement in the decision - which some commentators have suggested was politically motivated.
The FCA said it had decided a "traditional thematic review" would not help it achieve its "desired outcomes", promising instead to encourage the "delivery of cultural change".
Mark Garnier MP, a Conservative member of the Treasury Select Committee said he was "disappointed" by the decision.
Banks around the world have faced huge fines from regulators for their involvement in numerous scandals.
In May the news agency Reuters calculated that 20 global banks had paid Â£152bn in fines and compensation to customers since the 2008 financial crisis.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme the decision by the FCA was "shocking" and could prove a "dangerous and costly mistake".
He said: "This will be a huge blow to customers and taxpayers who are all still paying the price for the failed culture in the banking sector that's been widely attributed to be among the main causes of the crash and the scandals over Libor and price-fixing."
Mr McDonnell added it was "worrying" that the FCA was replacing the review and replacing it with a "potentially watered-down version", when there could potentially still be "cultural mispractice" in banking.
He said Chancellor George Osborne could not "stay silent on this issue" and called for him to use his influence to keep the review going.
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said any hope of change had been "dashed".
The decision to drop the inquiry comes six months after FCA boss Martin Wheatley - who was originally hired because of his reputation as a tough regulator - was effectively sacked by Mr Osborne following two tumultuous years in the role.
Many in the City had found Mr Wheatley's approach too combative and raised concerns about some of the language he used in reference to the banking industry.
Percival Stanion, head of multi-asset strategies at Pictet Asset Management, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there was "definitely a shift in tone towards the banks".
He suggested that it was "no coincidence" that the investigation was being dropped at a time when HSBC was reviewing whether to keep its headquarters in London.
HSBC has been a vocal critic of the bank levy, which Mr Osborne reduced in his summer budget following the general election.
Mr Wheatley was succeeded by his deputy, Tracey McDermott, in September on an interim basis. The chancellor has reportedly struggled to attract a permanent replacement, with at least one leading financial regulator said to have turned the job down.
This will be seen by many as further evidence that regulators and the government have decided to take a softer line with the banks and bring the "banker bashing" era to a close.
The government is keen the UK, and London in particular, doesn't lose its appeal as a place for global banks to do business and employ highly paid (and taxable) people.
There have been a series of moves perceived as bank friendly in the last year. Martin Wheatley, the former chief executive of the FCA and a fierce critic of the banks was eased out of his position earlier this year and is yet to be replaced.
A time limit is being proposed on compensation claims for those mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI) - a scandal that has seen the banks haemorrhage Â£25bn to date and the bank levy, a charge on UK banks worldwide assets was replaced with a less onerous charge on domestic profits.
The FCA also said the Treasury had not been involved in the decision to drop the inquiry.
It added that a focus on the culture in financial services firms remained a priority, saying: "We have decided that the best way to support these efforts is to engage individually with firms to encourage their delivery of cultural change as well as supporting the other initiatives outside the FCA."


Children and grandchildren of adopted people could soon have the right to make contact with their parent's birth family.

Currently, that right is only available to adopted adults and their birth brothers or sisters.
But the Welsh government is proposing extending that right from next year.
One of the reasons is to help families find out if there are any health problems they might have inherited.
At the moment, intermediary agencies - either at the council, a voluntary adoption or adoption support agency - will only work with an adopted adult trying to make contact with their birth family or birth relatives.
Bur ministers have launched a consultation, questioning how far people would like to see contact widened - including to aunts, uncles, cousins and stepchildren.
The proposals include:
Changes are set to come into force in England in September, but it would be next summer before the powers apply in Wales.
Deputy Minister for Social Services Gwenda Thomas said: "I believe that there are good reasons why access to intermediary services should be extended to the descendants and relatives of adopted persons.
"For example, there may be health reasons such as finding out about a hereditary medical condition or other health issue which could affect the health of a person's children."
Wendy Keidan, director of British Association for Adoption and Fostering Cymru, gave it a cautious welcome.
But she wants to examine the detail of exactly what is proposed - including how wide the circle of relatives it should apply it to.
"It's a very complex and complicated area and it involves people's feelings," she said.
"People can't just pick up the phone to make contact, they have to go through an intermediary agency, where they are offered counselling and support. It's vital that the appropriate professional support is there for whatever is proposed."


Millennials are set to become the first generation to earn less than their predecessors, new research suggests.

The Resolution Foundation found that under-35s earned £8,000 less in their twenties than Generation X workers.
The thinktank defines Generation X as those born between 1966 and 1980 and millennials as those born between 1980 and 2000.
If wages for millennials follow the same path as Generation X, average career earnings will be about £825,000.
That would make them the first generation to earn less than their predecessors over the course of their working lives.
Even if millennials' wages improved rapidly like those of their baby boomer parents born after World War Two, their lifetime earnings would be about £890,000, according to the foundation.
That sum would be just 7% more than Generation X, and only a third of the size of the pay progress that Generation X should enjoy over the baby boomers.
The Resolution Foundation also warned that a post-Brexit recession could cut millennials' earnings even further.
Its research found that some of the pay squeeze was due to under-35s entering the job market as the recession hit, but it also concluded that generational pay progress had ground to a halt even before the financial crisis struck in 2007/8.
Torsten Bell, director of the Resolution Foundation, said: "We've taken it for granted that each generation will do much better than the last - earning more and enjoying a higher standard of living. But that approach risks looking complacent given the realities of recent years and prospects for the future."
The research comes as Prime Minister Theresa May warned last week of a growing divide between a "more prosperous older generation and a struggling younger generation".
The think tank has launched a commission to explore growing inequality between generations.
It will be launched at an event in London on Monday attended by David Willetts, executive chairman of the Resolution Foundation, TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady and CBI director-general Carolyn Fairbairn.
The think-tank also found that millennials will have spent £44,000 more on rent by the time they reach 30 compared to the baby boomers, and £25,000 more than Generation X.
Extra spending on rent has reduced young people's living standards and made it harder for them to save for a deposit to buy a house, the foundation said.
Senior policy analyst Laura Gardiner said: "Britain's continuing failure to build enough homes means that unless we change course the struggle of young people to own their home is only going to get worse."
Halifax estimated that the average first-time buyer deposit in the UK was now £33,000.


Wales back Liam Williams would have to compete for one of three wildcard selections for his country if he joins Saracens, says Neil Jenkins.

It is reported Williams has agreed to join the European champions when his Scarlets contract ends next summer.
Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) rules limit the number of players based outside Wales that can be picked for internationals.
"We've said we want to keep our best players in Wales and Liam is one of those," said skills coach Jenkins.
"We'd love to keep him in Wales but at the end of the day Liam's decision is his own.
"But I'm sure we'll fight in every way possibly to keep our best players and Liam is one of them."
The WRU's senior player selection policy - the so-called Gatland's Law - limits the number of players based outside Wales that can be selected for Test matches to three if they have turned down a contract offer in Wales.
It is understood Williams has been offered a national dual contract by Wales and the Scarlets so would have to rely on a wildcard selection for Wales if he joins Saracens.
This autumn, Jamie Roberts, Taulupe Faletau and George North are the three permitted wildcards with Bath fly-half Rhys Priestland missing out.
Full-back Leigh Halfpenny would be added to that list next season if efforts to get him back to Wales from Toulon fail.
"If Leigh stays [in Toulon], if Liam goes, it does become an issue but at some point it becomes an opportunity for other players," Jenkins added.
Scarlets and Saracens and the player's agent have declined to comment.
Cardiff Blues head coach Danny Wilson expects competition for Halfpenny's signature if he does decide to return to Wales on a National Dual Contract at the end of his current Toulon deal in summer 2017.
"If Leigh Halfpenny is available I imagine all four regions would be interested in bringing him back and the Welsh Rugby Union would certainly be interested in bringing him back," said Wilson.
Helfpenny joined Toulon from the Blues in 2014.
"Leigh's been at the region before and I think he's got a lot of friends here on and off the field," added Wilson.
"With the likes of Leigh, being Welsh and the player he is, you'd do your utmost to get him back and if that takes a little bit longer then so be it."


Ever fancied organising a concert by your favourite band or singer?

The Rolling Stones apparently charge $8m (£5m) to do a one-off performance, while Sir Elton John is said to require $4m.
Kylie Minogue - who once sang at the wedding of the daughter of Indian steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal - is reported to be a more affordable $2m.
So for those of us without superwealth, arranging such a gig seems impossible.
However, help may now be at hand thanks to three music fans and their London-based company Songkick.
A concert notification website and app for your mobile phone and tablet, Songkick this year launched a new service called Detour.
Essentially a form of crowdfunding, fans who wish to bring a certain band to their hometown or city can start a petition or "pledge" via Songkick.
You enter your credit card details on Songkick's website or app, and how much you would be prepared to pay.
If a sufficiently large number of people also pledge, then Songkick informs the band in question and its promoters.
"We have launched the service in London, targeting smaller bands and venues," says Songkick's co-founder and chief executive Ian Hogarth.
"But we plan to extend it across the UK and globally, and ultimately to the largest venues and artists.
"Obviously there is no guarantee that the band or singer in question will ultimately agree to play in a certain town, but so far more than 90% have indeed done so to - performing live is after all how bands make the majority of their money these days."
But if you and your friends are indeed successful in bringing to Rolling Stones to your town, how much do you pay via Songkick?
Ian says: "You ultimately pay the ticket price as set by the band.  So if you have pledged more, you don't pay the difference. And if you have pledged less than the ticket price, we contact you to say you'll need to pay more.
"And of course you can pull out of paying if ultimately you don't want to, or can't make the concert for some reason."
So if that is how Songkick's Detour service helps music fans, how does it benefit the bands or solo artists?
Put simply, Songkick passes on vital information to bands about how many people would like to see them play live in a certain place - and the prices they are prepared to pay for tickets.
From this data bands can work out which towns and cities to go to, the correct size for a venue, the optimum number of concerts to play and how much to charge. And Songkick gets a cut of the ticket price.
With an average of 50% of all concert tickets currently going unsold in countries such as the UK and US, Songkick claims the information it provides is the holy grail for the live music industry.
Ian says: "It is about bringing 21st Century technology to the live music industry."
Based in the Hoxton area of east London, the other, and currently larger, part of Songkick's business is a notification system that means music fans can avoid missing out on seeing their favourite band or singer perform live.
Free to use for the consumer, it sends you an alert when a band or singer you like is about to release tickets for a tour due to visit a city or town near you.
You can then buy the tickets via Songkick, which takes a commission of up to 10% from the promoter.
Songkick's technology means that the user doesn't have to enter a list of bands and singers that he or she likes, as instead it automatically checks your digital music collection, and what you listen to on streaming services such as Spotify.
Ian and his two co-founders started the company when he was just 25. Now six years later, it is a global operation used by eight million people per month.
For Ian, a Londoner who studied engineering and software at Cambridge University, it was working in California's Silicon Valley that made him realise you are never too young to launch a new technology company.
"Living in the Valley for a year was a really influential experience," he says. "The head of data at Facebook at the time was my age. It helped me realise that you could just go for it and start a business if you were interested in solving a particular problem.
"The actual idea came from my co-founder Michelle You, we are both really big gig-goers, and she said, 'Is there a way to use technology to make it easier to know when a band you like is going on tour?'
"I had the tech background to say 'yes it can be done', and Songkick came from there."
Ian says he "always wanted to build something".
"It didn't have to be a company, an invention would have done. I'm always most excited when making something."
But after graduating, Ian's love of music and China initially saw him spend a year in Beijing, learning Mandarin and earning money as a DJ playing hip-hop.
It was also in Beijing that he first met Californian Michelle You, who was a fellow pupil at the same language class.
They both kept in touch when they left China, with Ian working in Silicon Valley for management consultants Bain & Company, and Michelle in New York.
After Michelle questioned how technology could be used to better used to find out about forthcoming concerts, the idea for Songkick was born.
Quitting their day jobs together with third co-founder Pete Smith, a friend of Ian's since Cambridge, they set up the company, initially using their own money.
Ian says that while he and his colleagues could have based Songkick in California, they chose London because: "It is the gig capital of the world. London has more concerts than anywhere else."
He says the company is proud to be doing its bit to help the wider music industry.
"The music industry has been through a huge amount of change in recent years. Not helped by illegal downloads, sales have fallen sharply.
"So now bands make 70% of their income from touring. But at the same time, on average, half of all concert tickets go unsold. Songkick is helping sell those spare tickets."
Now backed by venture capital funding, including $10m (£6.4m) last year from Sequoia Capital, the Silicon Valley firm that has previously funded the likes of Google, Apple and PayPal, Songkick still has just 30 members of staff.
"We are a small team, but the important thing is the talent density - our staff are extremely talented," says Ian.
And while he says he finds it difficult not to spend all his time thinking about the company, he is happy to delegate.
"I see my job as attracting exceptional people to solve problems, and then getting out of the way to let them do it."
Ian now intends to grow Songkick's business tenfold over the next five years, and is relaxed about the possibility of the established ticket agencies doing something similar to both its core business and new Detour operation.
He says: "Our biggest competitors are the ones you don't know about - the three people in a bedroom coming at it from a completely different angle."


A hiker walking in the eastern Galilee region of Israel, in the Middle East, has stumbled across an incredibly rare coin.

Laurie Rimon found the gold coin, believed to be nearly two thousand years old, whilst taking a break near some ruins.
Until now the only known coin of its kind was kept in the British Museum.
The coin has the image of the first Roman emperor, Augustus, on one side.
Experts at the Israeli Antiquities Authority say it may have been part of a Roman soldier's wages and would have been worth a lot of money at the time.


Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score 30 goals in six successive La Liga seasons as Real Madrid beat Eibar comfortably.

Karim Benzema, who is battling a knee injury, and Gareth Bale were rested as Real prepare for Tuesday's Champions League game against Wolfsburg.
James Rodriguez steered in a free-kick, with Lucas Vazquez adding a second.
It was 4-0 by half-time, with Ronaldo firing in a square pass from Jese, who tapped in the fourth.
Real trail 2-0 against Wolfsburg as they head into Tuesday's quarter-final second leg at the Bernabeu, with manager Zinedine Zidane acknowledging that his team's season would be over if they fail to progress.
Zidane's side went into the weekend lying seven points behind leaders Barcelona in the title race and with hopes of winning La Liga all but gone.
Eibar, who have failed to win in eight league matches, were caught on the counter-attack repeatedly as they played a high defensive line.
Their performance improved significantly in the second half, though, with midfielder Gonzalo Escalante heading against the bar late on after Borja Baston had glanced on a corner.
Victory on Saturday moved Real up to second place for a couple of hours, although Atletico Madrid regain that position later on Saturday with a 3-1 win at Espanyol.


Cardiff Blues coach Danny Wilson has withdrawn from Wales' summer tour due to increasing regional commitments.

Wales was named as assistant to Robin McBryde for June's Tests against Samoa and Tonga, along with Matt Sherratt (Blues) and Stephen Jones (Scarlets).
The decision follows the news that Blues general manager Billy Millard will leave at the end of the season.
"It would have been great to have Danny on tour, but we fully appreciate and understand his position," said McBryde.
"It was a tough decision for him to make, but we'd like to thank him for doing so at an early enough juncture for it not to hinder our preparation for the tour.
"I look forward to working with Danny again in the near future."
Wilson will oversee a number of changes in a minor restructuring of the rugby department at the Blues.
"With Billy leaving, some adjustments to the rugby department and an increased workload, all of my focus and attention is needed at Cardiff Blues," he said.
"I want to remain in Cardiff to ensure we are best prepared for pre-season, the 2017-18 season itself and beyond.
"I am very grateful to the Welsh Rugby Union for the opportunity, and their understanding of my decision, and wish Robin and his team all the very best for what will be a tough tour."
Wales name their squad for the summer tour at midday on Tuesday 9th May.


The president of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region has threatened to intervene to defend the Kurdish population caught up in Syria's unrest.

Massoud Barzani said if Kurds were "under threat of death and terrorism" then Iraqi Kurdistan would be "prepared to defend them".
Recent fighting between Kurds and Islamist anti-government forces has left dozens dead in northern Syria.
Kurds make up about 10% of the Syrian population.
They are largely concentrated in the north-east, towards the Turkish border.
The areas have been run by Kurdish local councils and militia since President Bashar al-Assad's forces withdrew last year.
More than 100,000 people have been killed in the 28-month conflict in Syria, with a further 1.7 million Syrians forced to seek shelter in neighbouring countries, according to UN estimates.
Syrian Kurdish militia have been engaged in fierce fighting recently with the jihadists of the anti-Assad al-Nusra Front.
Mr Barzani called for a delegation to visit the Kurdish areas in Syria.
He said if the delegation found evidence of "terrorists" killing Kurds, then Iraqi Kurdistan would "make use of all its capabilities to defend the Kurdish women, children and citizens in western Kurdistan".
Mr Barzani gave no details of what form any intervention might take.
Iraqi Kurdistan comprises three provinces in northern Iraq. It has its own military and police force.
Syria's ethnic Kurdish minority has faced decades of discrimination and marginalisation under Assad rule, with Syrian Kurds staging their own anti-government protests after the Syria conflict began in March 2011.
But most of the fighting recently has been against Islamist rebels.
Last month a prominent Syrian Kurdish politician, Isa Huso, was killed by a car bomb in the north-eastern town of Qamishli.
Kurdish militiamen responded with a call to arms to fight jihadists.


A drug dealer who stabbed a man to death in his own home and then returned days later to burgle the property has been convicted of murder.

Philip Craig, 38, killed Christopher Laskaris, 24, at his flat in the Hyde Park area of Leeds in November.
Craig, from Leeds, then went back to the flat in St John's Close, where his victim's body remained, to take more possessions.
He was jailed for life with a minimum of 25 years at Leeds Crown Court.
Craig pleaded guilty to burglary at a previous hearing for which he was sentenced to three years, to be served concurrently.
More stories from across Yorkshire
The court heard Mr Laskaris, who had Asperger's Syndrome and suffered from bi-polar disorder, died from a single stab wound to the heart on 4 November.
His body was not discovered until 17 November, by which time Craig had gone back to the flat to steal items including a TV, games console and a number of guitars.
Jailing Craig, Mr Justice Goss said: "It is clear from the evidence that his difficulties made him vulnerable and he lacked insight in to his vulnerability.
"You preyed on this and saw him as someone you could use to your advantage by supplying him with drugs.
"When you left his flat he was dead or dying.
"You subsequently returned and moved his body, by which time you must have known he was dead, turned his trouser pockets out and helped yourself to such of his property that you considered of value and which you sold.
"His difficulties in life were not of his making; he needed help and support, not exploitation and abuse."
In a statement, Mr Laskaris' family said his death had had a "devastating impact".
"We are relieved that justice has been done, but nothing can ever heal our pain and loss, which we will have to live with for the rest of our lives," the family said.
"A bright young man has been robbed of his future, and this has had a devastating impact on his friends and family."
The case against a second man - Dempsey Pattison, 22, from Leeds, - who was also charged with murdering Mr Laskaris was discharged in February.


A dolphin has died after becoming stranded on a Ceredigion beach - despite efforts from coastguards.

The female common dolphin died in Ynyslas, near Aberystwyth, before it could be refloated, while awaiting an assessment from a marine vet.
Surfers alerted Natural Resources Wales once they spotted the dolphin, thought to be about 18 months old, on 18 March.
A post-mortem examination will be completed to help understand how the dolphin became stranded.


Britain's Chris Froome extended his lead in the Tour de France to one minute and 47 seconds by finishing second in the stage 13 time trial.

Froome clocked 51 minutes and 18 seconds for the 37.5km stage from Bourg-Saint-Andeol to La Caverne du Pont-D'Arc, which Dutchman Tom Dumoulin won in 50 minutes and 15 seconds.
Bauke Mollema finished sixth to go second in the overall standings.
There were doubts the stage would go ahead after Thursday's attack in Nice.
Tour officials decided to continue with the race, with a heightened security presence, after at least 84 people were killed when a lorry drove through a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in the southern French city.
There was a sombre atmosphere at both the start and finish lines on stage 13, with most riders not learning of the news from Nice until they woke up on Friday morning.
"We want this day to be a day of dignity as a tribute to the victims," said race director Christian Prudhomme. "The race must continue."
There was a minute's silence held before the first rider set off on the course, and another minute's silence was observed as the jersey holders stood on stage after the day's racing had finished.
The riders, including Froome, placed their bouquets of flowers on an empty podium in a symbolic tribute for the victims in Nice.
Froome, who lives in Monaco, just 12 miles (20km) from Nice, said: "This is definitely a time for people to stand together. It definitely puts things into perspective for us.
"I'm happy with how the stage went but everyone's thoughts are with the people in Nice. It's a special place for me, close to where I'm based, and I can't imagine what everyone is going through."
Stage winner Dumoulin added: "On one side I'm a very happy man but on the other side it's a very sad day.
"I woke up to the terrible news from Nice and there was a question whether we should race. It was a just decision in the end to race. It's terrible what happened and it shadows the day a lot."
On the road, it proved to be a crucial day for 2013 and 2015 champion Froome, as he increased his lead on all of his yellow jersey rivals.
Last year the 31-year-old collected the yellow jersey on stage seven and never relinquished it.
"There will be a strong breakaway group but it will probably come back together and end in a bunch sprint finish"
Read Geraint's preview of stage 14
And since wearing the maillot jaune on stage eight this year, the Team Sky rider has continued to put more time between himself and the other contenders.
His time trial may have been one minute three seconds slower than Dumoulin's superb stage-winning pace, but he was almost two minutes quicker than Mollema, who is now his closest threat for the overall lead.
Fellow Briton Adam Yates, 23, dropped from second to third, but continues to have a remarkable Tour, finishing seven seconds quicker than the highly regarded Nairo Quintana.
Colombian Quintana looks devoid of form, having been unable to chase Froome, Mollema and Richie Porte up Mont Ventoux on Thursday, and now falling to fourth and two minutes 59 seconds off the lead.
The comprehensive stage victory for Dumoulin strengthens the widely held belief that the 25-year-old has the potential to win a future Grand Tour - which includes the Giro d'Italia and La Vuelta.
1.  Tom Dumoulin (Ned/Giant) 50mins 15secs
2.  Chris Froome (GB/Team Sky)+1min 3secs
3.  Nelson Oliveira (Por/Movistar) +1min 31secs
4.  Jerome Coppel (Fra/IAM Cycling) +1min 35secs
5.  Rohan Dennis (Aus/BMC Racing) +1min 41secs
6.  Bauke Mollema (Ned/Trek) +1min 54secs
7.  Geraint Thomas (GB/Team Sky) +2mins
8.  Jon Izagirre (Spa/Movistar) +2mins 2secs
9.  Tony Martin (Ger/Etixx - Quick-Step) +2mins 5secs
10. Steve Cummings (GB/Dimension Data) +2mins 24secs
1.  Chris Froome (GB/Team Sky) 58hrs 2mins 51secs
2.  Bauke Mollema (Ned/Trek) +1min 47secs
3.  Adam Yates (GB/Orica) +2mins 45secs
4.  Nairo Quintana (Col/Movistar) +2mins 59secs
5.  Alejandro Valverde (Spa/Movistar) +3mins 17secs
6.  Tejay van Garderen (US/BMC Racing) +3mins 19secs
7.  Romain Bardet (Fra/AG2R) +4mins 4secs
8.  Richie Porte (Aus/BMC Racing) +4mins 27secs
9.  Daniel Martin (Ire/Etixx - Quick-Step) +5mins 3secs
10. Fabio Aru (Ita/Astana) +5mins 16secs


Everyone's been enjoying the snow this weekend - including this little squirrel in Estonia, Eastern Europe.

17 January 2016 Last updated at 13:45 GMT
Temperatures in the area reached around minus 12 this month.
He was diving into the snow to find some food - watch this clip to see how he gets on.


The technology company Oracle is retiring its Java browser plug-in.

The software is widely used to write programs that run in web browsers. But Oracle said modern browsers were increasingly incompatible with it.
Oracle said it would begin winding the plug-in down with the release of its latest development kit software but its demise would not be immediate.
Java has been criticised by many online security experts, who have said it is vulnerable to hackers.
"By late 2015, many browser vendors have either removed or announced timelines for the removal of standards based plug-in support, eliminating the ability to embed Flash, Silverlight, Java and other plug-in based technologies," Oracle said, announcing the decision on Wednesday.
"With modern browser vendors working to restrict and reduce plug-in support in their products, developers of applications that rely on the Java browser plug-in need to consider alternative options such as migrating from Java Applets (which rely on a browser plug-in) to the plug-in free Java Web Start technology."
"Oracle plans to deprecate the Java browser plug-in" in the next release of its Java Development Kit, JDK 9, it said. The technology would be removed from future software releases, it added.
"By 'deprecate', Oracle doesn't mean that the Java plug-in will be killed stone dead. Instead they will increasingly hide it, and not encourage users to install it. In due course, the software will be entirely removed," said the security consultant Graham Cluley.
In a blog post for online security company Tripwire, Mr Cluley said: "Of course, Oracle isn't dropping support for Java entirely - but with the demise of the unpopular web browser plug-in, it hopes users will be happy to switch over to its replacement."
He said that, while the number of reported problems had fallen in recent years, Java remained notorious for its vulnerabilities.
"Many users have found it hard to muster... love for the technology," he said.
"And yet, the Java browser plug-in has plodded on, shrugging off the brickbats and abuse, and doggedly providing support for the odd, ageing website and bespoke applications relied upon by corporations."
Mr Cluley said browser manufacturers were making the Java plug-in irrelevant.
He added: "Oracle isn't the only company having to recognise that the world is changing. Adobe, developers of the often-attacked Flash plug-in, recently made clear that it was moving away from the platform to an HTML5-based future."


Plans for a power converter station on an airfield in Fareham that will link the electricity networks of the UK and France have been unveiled.

The National Grid wants to build the 22m (72ft) high building at Daedalus Airfield to join 120 miles (200km) of seabed cable between the two countries.
IFA2 is a £500m National Grid scheme which aims secure electricity supplies in the UK.
If it goes ahead work could start on the site in late 2017.
National grid said the electricity interconnector could be up and running by 2020.
Fareham Borough Council said it had agreed in principal to lease the land to the National Grid.
The plans for the scheme can be seen until 20 March.
The grid connection building in France will be at Tourbe in Normandy.
IFA2 is a joint project between French power transmission operator Réseau de Transport d'Electricité (RTE) and National Grid International Limited (NGIL), a subsidiary of National Grid.


Ukrainian authorities say a Russian opposition activist has requested asylum in the country.

Roman Roslovtsev, known for protesting against Russian President Vladimir Putin in a Putin mask, crossed into Ukraine from Belarus.
He told local television he was seeking asylum because of persecution by the Russian security service.
Ukraine's border agency said that an application for asylum was being reviewed by migration authorities.
The agency published a statement which did not name Mr Roslovtsev, but said a "famous Russian writer and public figure" known for protest activities had applied for asylum.
Mr Roslovtsev, 36, has been detained as least nine times by Russian authorities after walking in Moscow's Red Square in his Putin mask.
Watch a BBC Our World documentary featuring Roman Roslovtsev (UK only)
Authorities say his actions breach Russian protest laws. Mr Roslovtsev says he is protesting over the exact laws which are cited in his arrests, which he describes as "absurd".
Born and raised in Moscow, he trained as an accountant before choosing to protest against Russia's actions in Ukraine.
He was filmed by the BBC this year protesting against Article 212.1 - a controversial Russian statute which allows people who breach protest laws to be jailed for up to five years.
After 20 days in police custody he said the time had not been pleasant, "but if their aim is to stop me protesting, they've achieved the total opposite".
Moscow remains at odds with Kiev following Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its alleged support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.


A top politician has backed university guidelines saying students should refer to Britain's "invasion" of Australia.

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) rejected claims on Wednesday it was "whitewashing" its curriculum.
Its Indigenous Terminology guide urges students to use the term "invaded" rather than "settled" or "discovered", and to avoid the word "Aborigines".
Queensland state Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she supported universities teaching "the truth".
"For many years Australian schools and Australian institutions have not told the truth about the way in which Australia was settled," Premier Palaszczuk said on Wednesday.
"A lot of Indigenous people lost their lives, there were massacres and the truth always must be told."
When the premier was asked if this meant Australia had been invaded, she answered "yes".
Captain James Cook claimed possession of the east coast of what is now Australia on behalf of the British crown in 1770, following more than 160 years of mapping and exploration, mainly by the Dutch.
There were already more than 250 separate language groups of Aboriginal people living on the land.
Then began a process of colonisation and land confiscation which denied Aboriginal rights to land, citizenship and equal status - rights which in many cases were only finally bestowed in recent decades.
Discovery or invasion?
The authors of the terminology guide explain their approach at the start, saying that while all staff and students rely heavily upon language, it "is also a vehicle for the expression of discrimination and prejudice... [and] cannot be regarded as a neutral or unproblematic medium".
In what follows, students are instructed to use the terms "Indigenous Australian people" or "Aboriginal peoples" in place of "Aborigines" or "the Aboriginal people", to avoid implying that all Indigenous Australians are the same.
The guide also lists words such as "primitive", "simple", "native" and "prehistoric" as less appropriate than "complex and diverse societies".
Use of a term such as "nomadic" is discouraged on the grounds that it implies Indigenous Australians were not permanently settled, supporting the doctrine of terra nullius that English settlers used to justify occupying land in Australia.
The guidelines sparked outrage in Australia's tabloid Daily Telegraph newspaper and on talkback radio.
Conservative radio host Alan Jones said: "Don't try and restrict the thinking of university students by some so-called diversity toolkit on Indigenous terminology rubbish which dictates game, set and match that Cook's arrival in New South Wales must be referred to as an invasion."
"One student might well argue in favour of invasion and another in favour of settlement. The argument should be judged on its quality. But prejudice and political correctness are anathema to genuine scholarship and learning."
Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham said Australian universities enjoyed "autonomy" around academic concepts.
"Universities should be places where ideas are contested and open to debate, nonetheless, with autonomy comes a responsibility to keep in touch with community expectations and provide an accurate reflection of our history," he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the University of Queensland says it does not teach that Captain Cook "invaded" nor "settled" Australia.
"Captain Cook was a navigator and explorer... we also teach that the English idea that Captain Cook 'discovered' Australia is inaccurate... [He] was a relative latecomer even in terms of early European visitors to the continent," Professor Jon Willis said in a statement.
"We consider the fact that many Indigenous people in historic and contemporary times think of white settlement as 'invasion'."
Professor Willis said the university does not have an official position on the UNSW terminology guide.
Co-Chairs of the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples, Rod Little and Jackie Huggins, said they were thrilled to see UNSW take the lead on this issue.
"For too long we have been stifled by this age old language," they said in a statement to the BBC.
"Modernisation is the key to engaging our younger generations and becoming a more reconciled nation. How do we ensure the wrongs of the past are never repeated when we won't discuss or accept the shame of our history?"


The founder of a music festival says he and his staff did "everything we could" to help thousands of people who waited hours to get in to the event.

Lak Mitchell said weeks of rain had a "knock-on effect" on preparations for Boomtown Fair, near Winchester, where people queued for up to 10 hours.
Delays were compounded by additional security measures aimed at preventing drugs being brought on site, he said.
Organisers said queues had been cleared by 23:15 BST on Thursday.
More on this and other stories from across the South of England
Water was distributed by the event organisers but some revellers reported fights, fainting and sunburn as they waited to enter the four-day festival at Matterley Bowl on Thursday afternoon.
Gates opened two hours late and a technical problem with the wristband scanning system added to delays.
Mr Mitchell said: "The fact that people were queuing out there for hours and hours - we can't apologise enough.
"Public safety was our number one priority. We were trying to balance the searching and getting people in on time.
"It's been three-and-a-half weeks of rain. I've worked in festivals most of my life and that was the worst field we've ever, ever experienced. It was just a knock-on effect.
"We also put in additional security measures to make sure no drugs get on site - that was a whole layer we've never had before and that really did cause a big problem as well."
Worried parents took to Twitter to express their concern and frustration.
Caroline Channing tweeted: "The only assistance your staff offered my daughter in 8hrs of queuing was to try to sell her a festival lanyard for Â£10."
Liz Barker tweeted: "I have two sons: one queuing to get into Boomtown, other in Ibiza. Other son got into Ibiza (ANOTHER COUNTRY!) in less time. Ridiculous."


An underwater robot searching for a Loch Ness Monster "lair" hasn't found anything so far.

Earlier this year, retired fisherman Keith Stewart said he found a deep trench that could be Nessie's hiding place.
This kick-started a special mission, Operation Groundtruth, to investigate the loch in the Scottish Highlands.
No lair has been found, but they have discovered a 9m model of the monster that was built for a movie!
A high-tech drone used soundwaves to scan the ground at the bottom of the loch and build a picture of what it looks like.
The official maximum depth of the loch still remains at 229.8m - so far...


A 29-year-old man has been shot and injured at a house in Derry.

It happened at a house in Cecilia's Walk in the Creggan area at about 18:00 GMT on Thursday.
A baby, a five-year-old child, and the man's partner were in the house when masked gunmen burst into the kitchen.
The man was taken out of the house to the doorstep and shot at least four times in the leg. Police have appealed for anyone with information about the incident to contact them.
A neighbour of the man said: "It must have been terrifying, especially for the children.
"It's very, very scary. We don't know what's going to happen at anytime, anywhere."
SDLP MLA for the city, Pat Ramsey, described the attack as "completely unacceptable" and blamed dissident republicans.
"This is a horrific incident for which there can be no excuse," he said.
"As our city prepares for Christmas, with what should be such a happy event in our Guildhall where thousands gathered to welcome Santa and cheer (for) the mayor as she turned on the lights, it is terrible that the focus will also be on such human rights abusers in Creggan.
"Is this really the message we want to send out about our city?"
Sinn FÃ©in councillor Patricia Logue said there could be "no place for this type of activity" in Derry.


The commander of international forces in Afghanistan has warned the international community not to turn its back on Afghanistan.

Gen Joseph Dunford told the BBC democratic progress could be threatened by the end of international combat operations in Afghanistan in 2014.
He said talks with the Taliban would be essential, sooner or later.
And without continued support from foreign politicians, he said citizens' basic rights were in no way guaranteed.
Gen Dunford is the last commander of Nato's International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), and is expected to remain in the post until the end of next year, when Nato combat troops are scheduled to leave.
Speaking to the BBC in Kunduz, in the north of the country, he said: "At this point we have made significant progress, but we are not yet at the point where it is completely sustainable."
By David LoynBBC News, Afghanistan
What sounds like a downbeat assessment is designed to remind politicians outside Afghanistan not to abandon the country at the end of 2014.
The last commander of the Isaf mission revealed that when combat troops left, there would still be five main bases for international troops in Afghanistan.
Groups fighting alongside the Taliban include the Haqqani network, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and a mixture of criminal and drugs gangs.
There has been a major shift, in the last few years, concerning the Taliban and a growing awareness that talks are essential.
General Dunford had this message for the Taliban: "To the degree that they have any kind of political space to accommodate with the Afghan people, now would be the time."
"That really is the focus of effort over the next 18 months. That's why we need to start now - especially with the Afghan security forces - to talk about 2018, not 2014. That period of time will allow these gains to be sustainable."
Next week, the last districts in the country will be handed over to full Afghan government control, with some international troops remaining in a supporting role.
Gen Dunford said Afghan forces were "getting good enough" to fight the conflict, but stressed that talking to the Taliban was critical for the country's future.
They were not the only enemy, and many criminal groups had joined the complex insurgency, he added.
The warning comes amid a fresh wave of violence in Afghanistan, believed to have been carried out by the Taliban.
On Tuesday, a suicide bomb attack in Kabul killed at least 16 people and injured more than 40 others outside the Supreme Court.
The previous day, seven insurgents, including suicide bombers, laid siege to the city's main airport for four hours before they were killed.
The BBC's David Loyn, in Afghanistan, says the group appear to be demonstrating that they can still hit high-profile targets, despite a heightened alert in the run-up to the security handover.


A robot designed to move in the same way as humans and animals has taken its first walk in the woods.

Media playback is unsupported on your device
19 August 2015 Last updated at 11:34 BST
The six foot (1.5m) 'humanoid' is called Atlas and was created by Google-owned Boston Dynamics.
The robot's makers wanted to create a machine that could walk on uneven ground.
So far Atlas is keeping his balance and it's hoped he should eventually be able to walk without a power cable.


A hat-trick from Andy Williams helped Doncaster claim their third consecutive victory by beating 10-man Yeovil.

James Coppinger also netted for Darren Ferguson's side while Ryan Hedges scored for the Glovers, who saw Bevis Mugabi sent off for a second bookable offence.
Rovers started in red-hot fashion and took the lead after just 34 seconds.
Williams lashed home a fine volley on the angle after meeting John Marquis' knock back from a corner.
But Yeovil were much the better side in the first half without truly testing Rovers goalkeeper Marko Marosi.
They were made to pay when Rovers doubled their advantage in the 54th minute, Coppinger volleying in from 15 yards.
Yeovil hit back two minutes later as Hedges intercepted Matty Blair's careless backwards header and fired past Marosi.
The afternoon got a little easier for the hosts when Mugabi saw red in the 76th minute following his second booking for dragging down the breaking Williams.
And there was no stopping the Rovers striker who calmly slotted home from close range eight minutes from time before heading home Tommy Rowe's cross unmarked in injury time.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
REACTION: Doncaster Rovers manager Darren Ferguson speaks to BBC Radio Sheffield
Match ends, Doncaster Rovers 4, Yeovil Town 1.
Second Half ends, Doncaster Rovers 4, Yeovil Town 1.
Corner,  Yeovil Town. Conceded by Joe Wright.
Goal!  Doncaster Rovers 4, Yeovil Town 1. Andy Williams (Doncaster Rovers) header from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Tommy Rowe.
Attempt missed. Harry Middleton (Doncaster Rovers) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
Substitution, Doncaster Rovers. Liam Mandeville replaces James Coppinger.
Matthew Dolan (Yeovil Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Harry Middleton (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Matthew Dolan (Yeovil Town).
Goal!  Doncaster Rovers 3, Yeovil Town 1. Andy Williams (Doncaster Rovers) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by James Coppinger.
Attempt missed. Nathan Smith (Yeovil Town) header from the right side of the six yard box is just a bit too high following a corner.
Corner,  Yeovil Town. Conceded by Andy Butler.
Attempt missed. Izale McLeod (Yeovil Town) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Joe Wright (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Izale McLeod (Yeovil Town).
Attempt missed. Tommy Rowe (Doncaster Rovers) header from the centre of the box is too high following a corner.
Corner,  Doncaster Rovers. Conceded by Kevin Dawson.
Second yellow card to Bevis Mugabi (Yeovil Town) for a bad foul.
Andy Williams (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Bevis Mugabi (Yeovil Town).
Substitution, Yeovil Town. Ben Whitfield replaces Ryan Hedges.
Foul by Harry Middleton (Doncaster Rovers).
Kevin Dawson (Yeovil Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Tommy Rowe (Doncaster Rovers) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt missed. Joe Wright (Doncaster Rovers) header from the centre of the box is too high following a corner.
Corner,  Doncaster Rovers. Conceded by Liam Shephard.
Bevis Mugabi (Yeovil Town) is shown the yellow card.
James Coppinger (Doncaster Rovers) is shown the yellow card.
Bevis Mugabi (Yeovil Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by James Coppinger (Doncaster Rovers).
Attempt missed. James Coppinger (Doncaster Rovers) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
James Coppinger (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Kevin Dawson (Yeovil Town).
Attempt missed. Tommy Rowe (Doncaster Rovers) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high following a corner.
Corner,  Doncaster Rovers. Conceded by Liam Shephard.
Substitution, Yeovil Town. Tahvon Campbell replaces Otis Khan.
Izale McLeod (Yeovil Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Matty Blair (Doncaster Rovers).
Foul by Otis Khan (Yeovil Town).
Joe Wright (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.


A boy who fled war-torn Afghanistan after his father was killed by the Taliban is on the cusp of a professional rugby league career.

Said Jamal, 15, arrived in the UK and settled in Rotherham, South Yorkshire about four years ago.
He played school rugby and at Dearne Valley Bulldogs before being spotted by Super League team Castleford Tigers.
"It's not an easy thing for a person like me to get into this level", the teenager said.
Live updates and stories from Yorkshire
"It means nothing is impossible, you can do everything you want."
Said is playing for the West Yorkshire club's youth academy side as a full-back and has ambitions to play the game as a professional.
Off the pitch Said wants to become a cardiologist.
He has already made an appearance at one of rugby league's biggest games - the Grand Final at Old Trafford.
In his Dearne Valley Bulldogs strip he carried the ball out to the referee before kick-off at the 2016 Wigan v Warrington final.
"To be in that dream was a great feeling. It will motivate me," he said.
He was 12 when he joined the community club, based at Bolton upon Dearne, near Barnsley, and very soon he was captaining the team despite the language difficulties.
"It was a different environment for me and I couldn't speak properly but I really enjoyed it."
"For me it's a family, the support from everyone is incredible", Said added.
Duncan Henderson, his coach at Deane Valley, said : "He has gone through a real tough time in Afghanistan, things you can't imagine.
"He lost a lot of his family out there, including his father and some siblings, through the Taliban attacks."
"I am immensely proud of his success, it is thoroughly deserved."