14.02.18
London policing to be given extra £60m to fund more officers
Sadiq Khan has announced another £60m is to go into London policing from 2019.
1,000 extra officers will be funded from business rates in a bid to reduce the impact of government cuts.
It follows a similar announcement in December that saw Khan proposing a 5.1% tax increase to go straight back into financing the Metropolitan Police and London Fire Brigade.
The announcement comes after Home Office figures showed the number of police officers in England and Wales had fallen by over 1,000 in six months.
The mayor of London accused the government of failing in its duty to protect the public and said he would not “stand by” while the safety of Londoners was being put at risk.
“I want to be clear: this alone will not reverse the rise in crime we are seeing in London and across the country,” said Khan.
“It will merely enable us to keep our heads above water for the next two years.”
Diane Abbott MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, welcomed the announcement: “Like almost every other police force across the country the Met has suffered under the Tories, with £700m lost from policing in London alone,” she stated.
“As the mayor has made clear, rises in local taxes in London or elsewhere cannot compensate for the billions that have been cut to the central Government grant since 2010.”
London Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the money could be used for a drive to tackle cyber-crime, which can have a significant impact on both businesses and the economy.
Top image: Lauren Hurley PA Wire
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