News from London Assembly Labour

Boris Johnson cuts 1,100 police officers in London

According to the latest figures published by the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA), there are now 1,130 fewer full time warranted police officers working in London borough commands than there were last year.

On March 31st 2010 there were 20,599 police officers working in the 32 London boroughs. According to the latest Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) figures, by July 2011 there were just 19,471 officers, 1,130 fewer.

Even before the Conservative-led government came to power, Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson was cutting the capital’s police. In February 2010 Boris Johnson approved plans to cut 455 police officers. Earlier this year Boris Johnson’s Metropolitan Police Authority agreed a plan to cut the number of police officers by 1,800 between 2010 and 2013/14.

Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper MP said: “This astonishing cut of over 1,000 London police officers by London’s Conservative Mayor and his Conservative-led government threatens to undermine the fight against crime in the capital.

“It’s clear the cuts are putting the police in an impossible position and it’s time for the Conservatives to rethink their budget plans and protect frontline policing.”

Ken Livingstone said: “These figures show the stark reality of Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson’s cuts to the police in the capital. In just over a year there were 1,130 fewer police officers in London borough commands.

“I am concerned that many areas of the capital which have seen deepest cuts in police officers, from Barnet to Westminster to Richmond, have also reported rising levels of overall crime in the past year.

“I’ve been out meeting thousands of Londoners in each of the 32 London boroughs this year and I have not met a single person who believes the number of police officers should be cut. With robbery, burglary and knife crime all rising in London this is no time to be reducing the number of police officers.

“I believe we need to be putting more police officers on the streets, not cutting them. It’s time for the Conservative Mayor to reverse his cuts to frontline policing and make our streets and homes safer.”

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