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Hundreds of police officers are to be axed as Scotland Yard tries to save tens of millions of pounds.
Civilians will take the jobs of 400 uniformed custody officers, saving £20 million, deputy mayor for policing Kit Malthouse and deputy commissioner Tim Godwin revealed today.
The Metropolitan Police needs to save £67 million in the next financial year, they told the London Assembly.
A string of further cuts, including sacking other civilian staff and closing police stations, will also be considered. Mr Malthouse warned the cuts could become even deeper.
He said if the Government went ahead with even more dramatic plans to cut spending by 10 per cent it would “cut to the bone”.”
He said: “You can cut into the fat and then the flesh but at that level you are talking about cutting into the bone.”
The total budget of £2.673 billion for 2010/11 is based on an estimated fall in the Government grant of up to 1.5 per cent but new research from the Institute of Financial Studies said this could reach 2.3 per cent, leading to further cuts. The 400 jobs will be lost over the next three years, mainly in custody suites as civilians take over.
Senior officers are also drawing up plans to merge departments such as human resources and finance across boroughs to make further savings.
Police stations could also be cut as well as the Met's offices which Mr Godwin said were only used 20 per cent of the time.
He said: “Some existing stations may close but the front desks will be replaced. We're looking at operating from supermarkets and seeing if we can take advantage of the property market to buy up empty retail space and work from there.
“We don't want great big monolithic stations but front desks in the community.”
Another targeted area would be Met's fleet, with cars not being replaced when they were no longer usable.
Reader views (38)
A billion pounds! No arrests, no cimes invetigated, hardly a ticket issued between the lot of them. The plastic plods should go and get some real ones.
- David Copperfield, London
Get rid of PCSOs, or (Cant Help In Most Policing Situations).
better known as CHIMPS. No power of arrest and they are even taught to remove themselves from any confrontational situations, some are on 26K in the centre of LONDON.
This would save an absolute fortune in wages, but the closure of most canteens!.
- Pip, SLOUGH
So that means outr council taxes should come down then.
In a news letter from a conservertive MP which popped through the door the other month it sataed that Boris had more police on the street, looks like he has done a U turn then. Yes PCSOs are unable to arrest etc get them out & may be we could get real police
- A, Battersea
Perhaps one way of saving money is to stop police officers from retiring early, (and getting another job,whilst colleting the pension) let them continue until they are 60 like the rest of us.
- Jim Allan, Lake District
Has anyone notice how recently the Met seems to have taken delivery of a fleet of shiny new BMW patrol cars, both 5 series and 3 series? Perhaps if they spent less on their fleet they could afford to keep policemen on the street.
- Graham, London
If "Policemen are civilians in this country", why do they behave like the paramilitary militia: Blair Peach and Ian Tomlinson RIP. The police are out of control and need to be cut down to size; smaller may lead to better quality and beter standards.
- K Bill, London, England, UK
EXTOPCOP
How about this for an idea, get rid of all the "real coppers" commanding a full salary yet cant go on the beat due to being on light or restricted duties. Hate to think how many cops are sitting behind a desk earning anything between £35k - £40k right now trying to look busy cos they cant go out due to ill health or disciplinary reasons.
Now they are the one's who do nothing and of no benefit to the police service.
- Steve, Medway,England
The police have become the paramilitary wing of New Labour so more that go the better for all of us.
- Ftac Watch, London
This no doubt is what Cameron/Osbourne mean when they say that Mayor Boris (who now chairs MET and has delusions of being in charge) is what will be rolled out nationally once Cameron becomes PM!!
I dont remember Boris saying he would cut police numbers during the Mayoral elections but history tells us its what Tories dont say that are what happens after they are elected that counts.
I bet this is what you expected when you voted for Boris!!
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex
Surely with crime rising we need more real bobby's or are they going to replace them more with those plastic Communist Supporters Officers?!?? This is more Nu Labor idiocy.
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London
Yet again it will be mere mortals who will be subject to most crimes.
The Super Rich Privileged can afford to live in Gated Complexes,travel the Globe,ad finitum.
Employ their private Body Guards to keep away from a vast sector of the public.
Incidentally so Sir Boris Johnson believes amnesty should be granted to people in the United Kingdom who are here illegally .would he reside next door to them
- Barry Deane, Richmond, United Kingdom
Yesterday, Premier Gordon Brown said that there would be cuts in unneccessary government spending. Why not, therefore, get rid of, in monetary terms, the equivalnet in CSO's and keep the coppers? Otherwise, let us allow the lunatics to take over the asylum - or perhaps they already have!
- Captain Black Of The Mysterons, London, England
Ah well, another Zanuliebour promise bites the dust. Tough on crime and the causes crime.
Still 600 odd criminals at liberty after their fraud in the HOC.
- Hugh, Middx
I agree wholeheartldy with extopcop, get rid of the worthless PCSO and employ half that amount on real PC's, also why do we have to pay for the minor members of the Royal family, and Pakistan's dictator, this is our money and as Tax Payers we should have some say in how it is used.
- Annie, Devon
Policemen are civilians in this country. Ms Barney's implied suggestion to the contrary is a solecism and demonstrates an ignorance of the Constitution. The only people who are not civilians are members of the Armed Forces.
Peel--Islington
- Roy Roebuck, London
£70 million goes to the satirically named "Equality Commission".
- James Caine, Witney, Oxfordshire
There are currently 16,507 PCSO's in England and Wales, commanding a total salary bill of over £282 million per annum. They add precisely nothing to policing in this country and there is no justification for them remaining on the public payroll. They should all be made redundant and the savings applied to the employment of real police officers.
- Extopcop, London
Keith Price-"The word on the street is that Boris wants to cut another 20 per cent of the officers next year"- Which street would that be? No one else seems to have heard of this plan. At a time when the public are calling for more front line Police to counter the crime explosion created by 12 years of NuLiebour failure, there is little chance of seeing such cuts; it would be political suicide and Johnson is not the fool you take him for. No matter how much you try to smear him you will never bring back Red ken, or save McClown and yourself, from impending political oblivion.
Get over it, we have had enough of the likes of you.
- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster
With police numbers at an historic high why not get rid of the school prefects? (aka PCSOs). There are thousands of them. This would save a bomb. Then get the real officers back on the beat where they should have been in the first place. If the govt is to be believed and crime is down to 1997 levels then, with all the extra real police officers they have funded since they came to power, there should be no problem should there?
- B Gare, Norfolk Gorleston
Perhaps if the Met had waisted less money on over policing the Tamil Protests especially, and G20 protest, they would be able to keep more officers on the beat.
- Alan, LONDON
good idea RF from Yorks but why not start with the convicted murderers who get round the clock protection
- L J, Alicante Spain
So, no money for cops on the beat to stop crime, but millions available for the new goverment database that will treat 11 million UK citizens as potential child molestors.
Strange priorities.
- Danny, London
The word on the street is that Boris wants to cut another 20 per cent of the officers next year
- Keith Price, Luton England
... or you could just scrap PCSO's, the majority of which are useless...
- Sense, LONDON
Don't worry, it's all part of Gordon’s plan to rejuvenate the economy, scrap the police and open the UK up to free market enterprise. Each mugger will be allocated their own specific area for "taxing" the public, drug dealers will each be allocated a pub from which to ply their wares, a national database of peoples purchases cross referencing the times their house is empty will be brought in via an ID card and more health and safety jobs will be created informing criminals how to hold weapons properly for maximum damage without hurting the wielder.
- Bob, Cheam
Why are these cuts being discussed in terms of cutting front line services such as police officers, front line permenant police presences such as police stations and important resources such as vehicles? There are plenty of better areas to cut - such as the bureauocracy and waste, why not talk about cutting this instead?
- H Morgan, London
Stunning!! Taxes at an all time high, CCTV replacing boots on the feet, Crime and more importantly perception if crime is at an all time high and then guess what.....
The taxes have been used to fill 10 years of shocking financial mismanagement, illegal wars and tending MP's moats.
- David Pearce, Manchester
400 uniformed officers thats about five percent of the Met,Boris has already got rid of 10% of uniformed police in Havering and there is an expected 10% to follow, the rest of England will be the same this time next year
- Jack, Romford
The most obvious way to cut costs would be to insist that the Windsors paid for their security out of their own pockets. That would save millions and allow police officers do what they are trained to do - tackle crime. I resent having to pay tax which in turn is used to pay PPO's to trail around pubs and clubs protecting Fergie's two daughters.
- R.F., Yorks, UK
A 25% cut in salary and pension rights for those earning in excess of £100,000 would be a better idea.
And a 10% similar scheme for those earning between £50,000 and £99,999 would be terrific, too.
- Ian Blair' Ghost, East Midlands
Why don't the powers that be,take some of the money they spend on useless cameras and save proper coppers jobs?
- Jimfred, London UK
This is rather alarming. At a time when crime seems to be on the increase, are cuts of this sort wise?
- Graham Rodhouse, Helmond, Netherlands
Cut the guys at the top - as it is obviously badly managed. Why consider sacking so many front liners now, if it was necessary before it should have been done before. Bad management. Replace the management first.
- John, Cardiff
Great news for criminals.Violent crime up,no law and order and now even less police to deal with crime.I want a refund of my taxes.
- David, london
Perhaps a better start would be not spending £25k per day protecting Pakistan's former dictator, and axing all of those staff employed in PC non-jobs, of which I've no doubt there are many.
- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster
Joe Public has been screaming for MORE police officers at street level for years.
The wholly bankrupt UK's answer is to sack 400 police officers.
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe Compound, EUSSR
What a blinkered view of the present disastrous economic situation in the UK brought upon us by the incompetent myopic Labour Government lead by gloom & bust Brown.
It is not job cuts which is needed but SALARY CUTS!!!
All public sector employees need to take at least a 25% pay cut now with those at the top on more that £100,00 taking a 40% cut!
We need to keep people in employment not pay fewer apparent super heroes more while the rest of us trundle the streets looking for scraps!
- Joe, Thornton Heath, London, England.
And amazingly watch how the crime statistics drop to historic lows...
For god's sake, save the 'old bill', but get rid of the Lord's and MP's - tout de suite...
Tragic state of affairs...!
- Scrappy-Doo, London
