The London mayor is urging the government to boost the force’s finances, reports Noah Vickers, Local Democracy Reporter
er shifts have been devoted to protests and vigils – and he suggested that weekend neighbourhood policing had been typically reduced by two-thirds due to staff being re-deployed.
Khan told the home secretary: “London’s communities directly suffer from the operational requirement on the Commissioner to prioritise under-funded capital city duties.
“As well as impacting the policing of the city, the demand on our police officers is impacting their welfare. The MPS [Metropolitan Police Service] has cancelled nearly 4,000 rest days and for each public order event, the same officers are being deployed.
This story is published by Waltham Forest Echo, Waltham Forest's free monthly newspaper and free news website. We are a not-for-profit publication, published by a small social enterprise. We have no rich backers and rely on the support of our readers. Donate or become a supporter.
“Many officers have worked every weekend since October and sickness rates are rising, a trend which is likely to continue.”
The mayor added: “There are additional pressures caused by the JSO [Just Stop Oil] protests and various sporting events in recent weeks and continuing over the next period as well.”
Responding, a Home Office spokeswoman said: “We are giving the police the resources they need to tackle crime, and through our police recruitment campaign we have more police officers in England and Wales than ever.
“The Metropolitan Police will receive up to £3.3bn in 2023/24, an increase of up to £102.3m on the previous year. This includes £185.3m in recognition of the increased demands the force faces from policing the capital city.
“We have also provided an additional £75.3m of in-year funding to support the force in managing the costs associated with the 2023/24 pay award.”
No news is bad news
Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.
The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.
If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.
Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.
Monthly direct debit
Annual direct debit
£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.
More information on supporting us monthly or annually
More Information about donations
