The UK’s biggest police force will cut 1,700 officers and staff, despite receiving funding increases from central and local government.
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00:00So, as you might be able to see there is actually an ongoing protest outside New Scotland Yard.
00:06I believe this is completely unrelated to what we're talking about today, but it does
00:11perhaps point to some of the pressures currently being faced by the Met. Nonetheless, this
00:16is a really big development for policing in London. The Metropolitan Police is now expected
00:23to lose 1,700 people from the force, made up of officers, PCSOs and police staff. Scotland
00:31Yard has admitted this move, which is intended to plug a £260m budget shortfall, would put
00:39an extraordinary stretch on its staff. This all comes despite funding increases from both
00:46City Hall and the National Government. The Metropolitan Police said it also needs to
00:54axe services, including the Royal Parks Police. Richmond Council unsurprisingly expressed
01:01deep disappointment over this decision and said it raised serious concerns about the
01:08future safety of Richmond Park, Bushy Park and other green spaces in London. The cuts
01:15are also likely to see the removal of dedicated officers from schools. These cuts all come
01:23despite a record £1.16bn for the Met from City Hall for the coming year. The Mayor of
01:30London, Sir Sadiq Khan, has blamed this particular funding crisis on the previous Conservative
01:37governments, suggesting they chronically underfunded the Metropolitan Police.