Labour is facing more fury over police funding (Image: Getty)
More dangerous criminals are set to roam London’s streets as the number of police officers plunges to their lowest level in six years.
Scotland Yard could lose up to 2,300 officers, it emerged on Tuesday, because of “failure” to fund the “properly”.
Frontline bobbies have warned keeping people safe is “set to get harder” and declared the public “deserve better” from politicians.
Critics have also claimed it could take longer for police to respond to 999 calls, force chiefs to slash neighbourhood patrols and reduce the number of officers on “public order” operations.
The Met’s Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, previously warned the “eye-watering” cuts will make it harder for his force to catch criminals.
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Sadiq Khan has been criticised (Image: Getty)
Sir Mark warned that high-risk people who were on wanted lists would remain at large for longer and there would be significant delays in charging and convicting .
Politicians in the London Assembly scrutinised the Met’s proposed budget on Tuesday, and revealed the cuts are likely to result in 2,300 fewer officers.
Matt Cane, General Secretary of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said: “Policing in London is an incredibly difficult job. And it’s only set to get harder.
“As we have said time and time again cuts have consequences. These eye watering cuts will clearly have a significant impact on the Metropolitan Police’s ability to effectively police London but also on our already over stretched members.
“They deserve better – and proper support from the country’s politicians when it comes to funding the force.”
London has seen a spate of horrific stabbings so far this year.
A 14-year-old boy was knifed to death on a bus in Woolwich on Tuesday. And an 18-year-old is fighting for his life after being attacked on Monday afternoon.
London’s knife crime crisis has spiralled in recent years from 9,086 incidents in 2016 to 15,802 in the year to June 2024. Last year’s figure was up 16 per cent on the previous 12 months.
Official Metropolitan Police figures show the Met had 34,017 officers in March 2024. Removing 2,300 officers would see this number plunge to 31,717, which would be the lowest total since 2019’s 29,978.
Susan Hall AM said: “The anticipated loss of 2,300 police officers from London’s streets represents a devastating blow to our city’s safety and security.
“This isn’t just about numbers on a spreadsheet – this means fewer officers patrolling our neighbourhoods, responding to emergencies, and protecting Londoners at major events and demonstrations.
“These cuts will have real consequences for real people. We’ll see longer response times for 999 calls, reduced capacity for neighbourhood policing, and potentially compromised public order operations at a time when London needs them most.
“The front line will be hit hardest, leaving our communities more vulnerable.
“The Mayor could certainly do more to prioritize policing in his financial requests of Sir , but the reality is that the Government’s failure to properly fund London’s police service is forcing impossible choices that will ultimately be paid for by Londoners – with their safety, their security, and their peace of mind.
“There must be an urgent review of this decision and both City Hall and the Government must find a solution.
“London cannot afford to lose these officers, and Londoners should not have to pay the price for this unacceptable reduction in police numbers.”
The Home Office on Tuesday confirmed police forces will receive an extra £986.9m next year to fight crime and bolster neighbourhood patrols.
But a third of the increase is set to be funded through council tax increases of up to £14 per household.
This means council tax bills across Britain will rocket by £329.8m, hitting cash-strapped families.
And £230m of the £986.9m settlement will go towards covering employer National Insurance increases, Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson has admitted.
The settlement has prompted fury, with critics arguing taxpayers are once again being asked to stump up for more.
And policing watchdog Andy Cooke said some inner-city forces with higher levels of serious crimes are left with fewer resources because housing stock is worth less in their area.
He said: “The police funding formula is an anachronism. It’s not been updated for a long time.
“What it results in, because there is such a reliance on council tax now, (is) the richer police forces get richer, the poorer police forces get poorer.
“So those who can’t raise as much on council tax, which is usually but not in totality the inner-city areas – Cleveland, Merseyside, Manchester, West Midlands – don’t have that housing stock that pays big money.
“In order to address some of the issues the government would like to address in relation to knife crime, violence against women and girls, the bulk of those occur in the inner-city areas where you’ve got less resources.
“There are numerous financial issues, but there have been the same issues for many years because the police funding formula hasn’t been properly addressed and doesn’t fairly allocate resources.”
One-year funding settlements also make it difficult for forces to plan ahead, Mr Cooke added.
Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said the funding settlement “strikes the balance between protecting taxpayers and providing funding for police forces”.
In a statement to Parliament, she said the 2025-26 settlement for forces will amount to £17.4 billion, an increase of up to £986.9 million in the current year.
The additional funding will cover the costs of the pay rises given to officers, the £230.3 million increase in employers’ national insurance contributions (NICs) and also pay for recruitment to help meet the Government’s neighbourhood policing promises.