The Government recently announced plans to recruit 20,000 police officers throughout England and Wales. And while funding and timelines have yet to be confirmed, the London Assembly supports this decision.
Today, the London Assembly has asked the Mayor to continue to call on the Government for an additional 5,000 police officers which London desperately needs.
Unmesh Desai AM, who proposed the motion said:
“At last, we’ve had an admission from the Government that austerity is not working and that it is undermining efforts to keep Londoners safe. We have a solid record on the Assembly of arguing for better resourcing for the Met police, with a focus on bolstering front line policing.
“The Mayor is right to call for a significant chunk of the promised resources from the Government to come to London. The Met has sustained years of significant cuts, all the while delivering the extensive service required to police a capital city. With our police service under unprecedented strain, the Government must show its sincerity in alleviating some of that strain by ensuring they fully cover any costs of hiring and training new officers.”
The full text of the motion is:
The Assembly notes that the Government have announced an ambition to recruit 20,000 police officers throughout England and Wales. Though we await to see details on specifics such as funding arrangements, equipment and training, we support the desire to get more police on our streets. The Assembly notes that we have long argued that London requires more police funding and resources from Westminster, and we welcome the Government’s overdue acknowledgement that police cuts have gone too far.
The Assembly further notes that the Mayor has written to the Home Secretary calling for the Metropolitan Police Service to receive 5,000 of the total police officers. The Assembly backs the Mayor’s demand for these extra officers which London desperately needs.
We call on the Mayor to continue to make requests for the additional 5,000 officers for London and further suggest that he requests assurances that the Government will fully fund the total cost of hiring new officers, including costs for police equipment, training, salary costs and pension costs.
Notes to editors
- Watch the full webcast
- The motion was agreed unanimously.
- Unmesh Desai, who proposed the motion, is available for interviews.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Aoife Nolan on 020 7983 4067. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.