The Metropolitan Police Commissioner today sent a personal message to colleagues about the government spending cuts and how the Met would manage a reduced budget. The Commissioner described the coming cuts as the "largest the service has experienced in a generation".
Jenny Jones is urging the Mayor to ensure that any reductions are based on evidence and not dependent on which departments have the loudest voice. In particular, she is concerned that mainstream policing should not be disproportionately reduced.
Jenny Jones said:
"Difficult choices will have to be made on where budgets are cut and by how much. There is a strong case for the important ‘everyday’ crime to be prioritised because it affects Londoners’ lives and their confidence in the police. Robbery has seen a 5.8% increase this quarter, yet it won’t be ring fenced like Counter Terrorism, which according to a recent survey most Londoners don’t see as a priority.
"I will be asking the Mayor to have a proper review and to make sure all decisions are debated openly and take account of all the evidence. As a first step, all inefficiencies must be driven out, especially the over reliance on officer and staff overtime. We then have to look at the crime rates over the last ten to fifteen years and the growth in police resources in those areas, to see which ones need protecting and which could be scaled back."