has assured Londoners that the
Metropolitan Police will maximise the number of frontline
neighbourhood officers despite major changes to the way local
policing is delivered in the capital, which have been driven by
big Government funding cuts.
The Mayor says that today’s decision to move forward with plans
to organise London policing across 12 larger Basic Command Units,
rather than 32 boroughs, is the only way to maintain the
frontline services required by Londoners in the face of falling
police numbers due to the cuts made by Ministers.
The change also has the potential to improve the way the police
deal with serious complex crimes, such as safeguarding the most
vulnerable Londoners, Sadiq said.
The new model of policing forced on the Met has been extensively
tested in two ‘pathfinder’ areas of London since January 2017.
This has allowed the Metropolitan Police to make changes to the
Basic Command module and successfully address falls in response
times.
Each of the new Basic Command Units will be led by a Chief
Superintendent and will deliver the key local policing functions
expected by Londoners. Police officers, buildings and resources
will now be shared across borough boundaries. It will mean
resources can be focused on safeguarding and neighbourhood
policing, and that they are delivered effectively in the face of
increasing financial pressures.
The Metropolitan Police has faced Government cuts of more than
£700m since 2010. A further £325m of savings must be found by
2021. They expect to move from a strategic target of 32,000
officers to an average of 30,000 by April this year and to have
to make further significant reductions in numbers by 2021.
The Mayor of London, , said: “These changes are being
made to ensure the Met is able to maintain the key services that
Londoners require, despite the challenge of huge government
spending cuts, which are driving down police numbers in London
and across the country at a time when crime across England and
Wales is rising in volume and complexity.
“It is a decision that has been driven by cuts from central
Government to the Met’s budget, and the need to improve policing
to meet the demands of London. But I want to reassure Londoners
that the new units have been designed with their safety as the
absolute priority. That is why they have been tested since
January 2017 and they will only be taken forward in a measured
way. The new units will be designed for every area of London in
order to meet the needs of local people and tackle local
priorities, while I will continue to press the government to
deliver the funding needed to keep Londoners safe.”
Five London Boroughs have trialled the new Basic Command Unit
system in two ‘pathfinder’ areas, in north and East London, since
January 2017. Barking and Dagenham and Redbridge and
Havering boroughs combined in one area, and Camden and Islington
boroughs combined in the other.
By evaluating the pathfinder units the Metropolitan Police has
been able to identify potential challenges and identify key
lessons that will mean each unit is designed to meet local needs,
and help enable the successful roll out of the units across the
remainder of the capital over the next 12 months.
In both pathfinder areas the Met put in place a significant
amount of work to address an initial fall in response time. As a
result their performance in responding to the most urgent calls
is now better than it was at the same time in 2016, before the
pathfinder Basic Command Units were created. In the pathfinder
areas the Met has also been able to show that the new model
offers potential for improvements in safeguarding. By increasing
police specialisation in these complex cases they are able to
make sure the most vulnerable Londoners are better protected.
ENDS
Notes for editors:
- The next boroughs to come together in the Basic Command Unit
will be Ealing, Hillingdon, and Hounslow; and Kingston, Merton,
Richmond and Wandsworth.
The 12 Basic Command Units are:
* Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and
Chelsea, Westminster,
* Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Wandsworth
* Bromley, Croydon, Sutton
* Bexley, Greenwich, Lewisham
* Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge
* Ealing, Hillingdon, Hounslow
* Lambeth, Southwark
* Enfield, Haringey
* Hackney, Tower Hamlets
* Camden, Islington
* Barnet, Brent, Harrow
* Newham, Waltham Forest
