Andrew Dismore

Following on from my NHS piece yesterday, here you can read about some research i did into cuts of front line police after the London Riots, I hope you find it of interest. Best wishes, Andrew

 

I have used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain the official Metropolitan Police figures. These show unambiguous cuts  between  May 2010, when the Conservative–led Coalition Government came to power and August last year, the time of the riots.

The Met as a whole had 33,144 officers as of 1/5/10 but by August 2011, this had fallen to 31,830:  an actual cut of 1,314 police officers.

In Barnet, there were 595 officers and 177 PCSOs on 1/5/10. Now there are 569 officers and 143 PCSOs, a fall of 26 officers and 34 PCSOs meaning 60 fewer pairs of eyes and ears on the streets.

In Camden, it is even worse: there were 887 officers and 123 PCSOs on 1/5/10. Now there are 795 officers and 118 PCSOs, a fall of 92 officers and 5 PCSOs meaning 97 fewer in total.

So my FOI request has established the definitive answer to police numbers. The shortfall of 157 in total across the GLA Constituency is appalling.

A further FOI request has also now revealed just how cash-strapped our local Boroughs’ police are too.

Camden Borough police spent £55,068,918 last year. Figures released by the Metropolitan Police under the Freedom of Information Act reveal their proposed budget for the current year (2011/12) has been reduced to £52,956, 948, a shortfall of £2,111,970.

 Barnet Borough police spent £40,273,860 last year. The Freedom of Information Act figures released by the Met. show their proposed budget for this  year (2011/12) has been reduced to £39,096,690, a shortfall of £1,177,170.

Together the two Boroughs in the London Assembly constituency are losing £3,289,140m.

 There is worse to come, too. According to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), London is set to lose almost 3,000 uniformed officers by 2015 – 1,907 police officers and 902 police community support officers.

There is no doubt that the public do not want to see cuts in front line policing. We have been collecting signatures on a petition against these cuts and have hundreds of signatures even from before the riots. The public have now been proven right, as thousands of officers had to be drafted in from around the country. If you haven’t signed this petition yet, please do so:http://www.dismore4hendon.com/stop-tory-cuts-to-local-police-teams.

What makes things worse is that Barnet and Camden’s current GLA member, Conservative Brian Coleman, has not written to the Met once, raising concerns over police numbers since the riots or even about the riots themselves. He clearly does not care.

And no wonder Hendon’s Conservative MP decided not to come back from his jaunt to Belize when Parliament was recalled to discuss the riots: he would have faced awkward questions about his often repeated promise at the election (which he only narrowly won by the smallest of majorities) to provide more police on the beat, when his record shows he has done exactly the opposite.

We will continue to campaign vigorously, as the Coalition plan even deeper cuts in the Met. especially after the Olympics next year. So if you would like to help with my campaign, please email and let me know!