Mayor challenged to back down over cuts to police numbers

10.19.00am GMT Wed 27th Jan 2010

Boris Johnson is being challenged to back down over real cuts in Met police numbers by the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group. The Liberal Democrats are proposing to restore the Mayor's planned cut in council tax funding for the Met as part of their formal amendment to the Mayor's draft budget being presented to the London Assembly today.

Speaking ahead of the Mayor Question Time which will examine the Mayor's proposed budget Dee Doocey, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly policing spokesperson said:

"It is shocking and disgraceful that a time when gun crime has soared across London the Mayor thinks he can sneak through serious cuts in police numbers.

"The Mayor's budget says in black and white that by the time of the Olympics there were be an overall fall in police numbers of 455 officers. However this cut is only the start. The Mayor is also proposing to cut funding to the police next year by £16.4 million and to force each borough commander to find additional savings of 5% in their budgets. Unless the Mayor backs down Londoners will soon see a reduction in police officers on our streets.

Our budget proposals would reverse some of the most damaging cuts and fund hundreds more police officers in the boroughs with the highest levels of gun and knife crime. We are also urging the Mayor to give a much higher priority to tackling child trafficking.

Mike Tuffrey, the leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on the further proposals set out in the Liberal Democrat amendment said:

"By cutting out waste and challenging the Mayor's proposal to build up a war chest in reserves to spend in an election year we believe it is also possible to return some money to Londoners and make a real cut in the GLA precept of 2.6%, saving a typical council taxpayer 58 pence a week."

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. The Mayor's has proposed to reduce police numbers across London by the year 2012-13

http://www.london.gov.uk/gla/budget/docs/1011bud-consult.pdf (see paragraph 4.10 on page 17).

2. The full copy of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Budget amendment is enclosed in the briefings and report section of the website.