A Safer London for Everyone

The safety of Londoners is my first priority as Mayor, and I am pleased to introduce my latest Police and Crime Plan for London, which sets out the priorities for policing and community safety in our city for the period 2025-2029.

Important progress has been made since I became Mayor in 2016 and I am determined to build on this over the coming four years. This Plan reiterates my commitment to a tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime approach, backed with record City Hall funding for the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), alongside investment in preventative work, including more youth clubs and a further 250,000 opportunities for children and young adults.

Reducing violence and criminal exploitation is the top priority in this Plan. Over the last eight years we have demonstrated that, thanks to the concerted effort of agencies and communities working together, it is possible to reduce violence. Comparing the 12-month period to May 2016 to the 12-month period to February 2025, homicide is down by 14%, violence with injury is down by 13%, gun crime (lethal barrel discharge) by 38% and the number of people under the age of 25 being injured with knives is down by a quarter. Last year there were fewer homicides of people under-25 than any year since 2003 and the number of teenage homicides in London in 2024 was also at its lowest total since 2012. But I am absolutely clear – too many Londoners are still being impacted by violent crime and too many families are being bereaved by violence. Through the work of the MPS, my Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), partner agencies and communities, during this Plan period we will continue to leave no stone unturned in reducing and preventing violence in London. I will also bring forward a new Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy later in 2025, updating on the public health approach we are taking in London to make our city safe for every woman and girl.

While it is right that the most harmful crimes are prioritised, during this Police and Crime Plan period I want all Londoners to be safer – and feel safer – whoever they are, wherever they are in the city and at any time of day or night. During the consultation for this Plan we heard about how crimes such as shoplifting and theft are significant concerns for Londoners. Furthermore, statistics on public confidence in policing – which are based on people’s views on whether the police are doing a good job in the local area - have fallen in London and around the country. This is why over this period we will build on my lasting commitment to neighbourhood policing and work together with partner agencies to better address these concerns and make London’s communities – offline and online - safer and more confident.

I have been clear that police reform is a critical part of my Mayoralty, and I will not be satisfied until Londoners have the police service they deserve – one that is trusted, puts communities first, is representative of London and delivers the highest possible service to every community in our city. Under the leadership of Sir Mark Rowley and thanks to the hard work of its officers, staff and volunteers, the MPS have made real improvements since the publication of the New Met for London reform plan. During this Police and Crime Plan period, I will continue to support and oversee the work of the MPS to embed reform and deliver more trust, less crime and higher standards.

Victims of crime will remain at the heart of everything we do. I’m proud of the innovative, high-quality services that through the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) I have been able to commission since becoming Mayor, and we will continue to invest in the support provided to victims. However, we must be under no illusions about the scale of the challenge facing the wider criminal justice system after more than a decade of underinvestment which has resulted in cuts in policing, court backlogs leaving victims waiting years for their cases to be heard and prisons forced to release inmates early due to lack of capacity. Ultimately, most of the responsibility, funding and power over the criminal justice system rests with central Government, and during this Plan period we will do everything we can in London to support them in addressing these serious issues.

I want to thank the many Londoners and stakeholders who have shared their views during the consultation on the Plan, which have helped shape this document and ensure that we are focused on the things that matter to you. I will continue to do everything in my power to make London a safer city for all.

Safety matters to all of us, and I am so grateful to everyone who has participated in the consultation that informed this Plan. I had the privilege of being able to join some of the sessions personally, hearing from Londoners and partners directly about what matters most to them and what they think we can be doing to make our city safer for all.

Building on what we have heard, the final version of the Plan sets out the Mayor’s clear agenda for improving the safety – and the sense of safety – of all Londoners.

There are four key priorities for this period:

• Reducing violence and criminal exploitation.
• Building safer and more confident communities.
• Supporting and overseeing reform of the MPS.
• Improving the Criminal Justice System and supporting victims.

It is now for us at City Hall, the MPS and all of the organisations with a part to play in improving community safety, increasing public trust and supporting victims of crime to deliver on behalf of the people we serve.

As Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, I will be focused on driving forward this work on behalf of Londoners. In particular, during this Police and Crime Plan period I will be looking to support and strengthen the partnership arrangements that are so important to achieving the objectives set out in the Plan. During the consultation, we heard about some of the excellent partnership work happening across the city to make our communities safer – with police, local authorities, other emergency services, justice agencies and community and voluntary groups bringing their different resources and skills to bear effectively on crime and antisocial behaviour problems.

But we also heard about challenges facing our partnerships and inconsistency of practice due to issues around resourcing, data sharing, partnership skills and cross-boundary working. Londoners are right to expect that the public services they pay for are working together effectively to deal with the things that matter to them – as are the front-line professionals who should be supported in their difficult work by the system that they are a part of. I believe that these issues can and should be addressed on their behalf – and that MOPAC is uniquely placed to play a leadership role in making that happen. We will do that.  

Like the Mayor, I am absolutely committed to doing everything in my power to make our city a safer, fairer place for everyone who lives, works and visits it. I look forward to working with the police, partner agencies and communities over the years ahead to make that a reality.

Reducing crime in a lasting way takes time. The causes of crime are complex and often generations in the making. Meanwhile, the MPS and the other agencies and organisations who play the most important roles in cutting crime continue to feel the effects of more than a decade of central funding shortfalls.

Over the last eight years, some types of crime have reduced in London, but there is still a long way to go. That’s why the Mayor believes the commitment to tackling crime and the causes of crime must be sustained beyond the four-year period of this Police and Crime Plan.  

The Mayor has welcomed the Government’s commitment to longer-term national safety and security missions, to a preventative, partnership approach to crime reduction, and to investing in law and order in the years ahead. This will take time to embed, and we are committed to playing our full part in London.

The safety of London also directly supports the local and national missions for economic growth. The Mayor is clear that:

• Safe communities are more attractive to domestic and international investors, as businesses seek stable environments to thrive and grow.
• When people feel safe, they are more likely to engage in work, innovation and education, leading to increased productivity.
• Safety ensures that public infrastructure such as transport, schools and healthcare can function without disruption.

To help create conditions of greater safety, after more than a decade of cuts, the MPS needs sustainable funding to boost officer numbers, continue its modernisation and fight crime; alongside ongoing funding for preventative services including the VRU.  

This Plan sets out the priority areas of focus in London for the next four years and how we will work towards our longer-term ambitions.

Violent crime causes serious harm to Londoners and to their sense of safety. One violent crime is one too many, and the Mayor wants MOPAC, the VRU and the MPS - with the support of the criminal justice system, local authorities, Transport for London (TfL) and other partner agencies - to prioritise efforts on reducing these offences.

Londoners are less likely to be a victim of violent crime in the capital than the average across England & WalesReference:1. However, some types of violence in London have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis that followed. Research commissioned by the Mayor and conducted by the London School of Economics (LSE) revealed a clear link between a 10 per cent rise in the cost of living and increases in violence, robberies, shoplifting, burglary and theft during 2023 – with overall offences rising by eight per cent when the cost of living roseReference:2.

It is widely accepted that deprivation and other structural factors are key drivers of serious violence. Violent crime in London is heavily clustered in a small number of neighbourhoods that tend to have high and entrenched deprivation. Young Black men are disproportionately likely to be affected by violent crime. Without in any way excusing criminality, a lack of access to education and good quality employment increases the risk of children and young adults being drawn into offending or gang-related activities, in particular drug dealing as a way of making money.

Criminal exploitation disproportionately affects vulnerable groups such as children exposed to violence or drugs in the home – feeding a self-perpetuating cycle of vulnerability, violence and exploitation.

Status and respect within and across peer groups is another causal factor for children and young adults becoming involved in violenceReference:3. Perceived loss of status, reputation and respect within peer groups can be seen as a weakness and contribute to violent incidents as an attempt to retain or regain status.

There are no quick or easy fixes to these issues, and no single agency or organisation with the ability to resolve them alone. That’s why, through his VRU, the Mayor is taking a preventative - public health - approach, bringing everyone together to bring their skills and resources to bear on tackling the complex underlying causes of violence. That means working together with front line services and youth workers to identify and divert children and young adults at risk of violence towards a more positive future; and the VRU and MOPAC providing expert interventions to help people already caught up in violence and those who are vulnerable to leave that life behind them.

This prevention activity sits alongside and complements the vital work of the MPS and the criminal justice system to take strong action against perpetrators. The Mayor will continue to support the MPS and partners to ensure that the most dangerous individuals, groups and weapons are taken off the streets of our city – and that action is taken to ensure that violent reoffending is reduced.

By taking this approach during this Police and Crime Plan period, the Mayor’s priority aims are to:

• Reduce knife crime with injury in London, contributing to the Government’s national mission to halve knife crime in a decade – reducing levels of knife crime with injury in London below current levels by the end of this Police and Crime Plan period.
• Reduce robbery and knife-enabled robbery in London – reducing the numbers of these offences in London below current levels by the end of this Police and Crime Plan period.
• Bring more perpetrators of Violence Against Women and Girls to justice and increase preventative efforts to tackle misogyny, contributing to the Government’s national mission to halve VAWG in the next decade – we know that underreporting is an issue in relation to VAWG offences. For this reason, during this Police and Crime Plan period we aim to drive up reporting and improve charge rates for the most serious crime types.
• Protect people from criminal exploitation – strengthening agencies’ ability to identify and respond effectively with children and adults being – or at risk of being – criminally exploited.

By delivering these aims, the Mayor’s ambition is to reduce the number of victims of violent crime and criminal exploitation in London and reduce the overall harm caused by violence and criminal exploitation. Violent crime disproportionately affects marginalised communities and reducing it can also help address some of the root causes of social and economic inequality, improving opportunities for vulnerable populations and reducing systemic injustices. There is also a potential virtuous circle between reductions in violent crime and increases in public confidence. Throughout this Police and Crime Plan period, MOPAC will work with the police, partner agencies and communities disproportionately affected by violence to address these crimes and their underlying causes.

To achieve these aims, the Mayor will:

Lead a city-wide effort to prevent violence by tackling its causes

The Mayor believes that violence is preventable, and he is committed to doing everything in his power to champion and support preventative efforts across London during this Police and Crime Plan period.

Taking a public health approach to preventing violent crime, led by London’s Violence Reduction Unit

In 2019, the Mayor set up England and Wales’s first Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) to tackle the underlying causes of violence in London through a public health approach. Over the last five years, working in partnership with local authorities and voluntary and community organisations, the VRU has funded and delivered more than 400,000 positive opportunities for children and young people. Since it was set up in 2019, there has been a 31 per cent reduction in homicides, a 26 per cent fall in knife injury of a person under-25, and a 1 per cent reduction in personal robberyReference:4.

The Mayor will continue to fund and support the VRU to lead a partnership approach to tackling violence that is rooted in prevention and early intervention. The Home Office has also provided funding to deliver targeted programmes through diversionary activities, youth work and mentoring. 

The public health approach model is built around using evidence, insight, data and listening to London’s diverse communities to build on what works to reduce violence. The VRU will continue to develop and adopt this approach to contribute to sustainable reductions in violence in the capital, centred on three strategic objectives: 

• A city in which children and young adults both feel safe and are safe.
• Taking a partnership approach to delivering solutions.
• Stabilising and reducing violence through prevention and enabling positive opportunities.

Violence is complex, with evidence showing links with poverty, deprivation and lack of opportunity. Austerity, the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis has cumulatively impacted young adults, families and communities.

The VRU will continue to tackle these underlying causes and the structural inequalities that exist in our society by investing in targeted interventions, positive opportunities and working in partnership with others. It will do this by advocating for children and young adults, families and communities as well as targeting its investment and support in programmes that follow ‘the journey of a child’

The VRU will focus on keeping children and young adults safe both in and out of school, funding work to support a ‘whole family’ approach, investing in the life-changing work done by youth workers and mentors as part of a vital trusted adult relationship, funding positive opportunities into training and employment, and giving communities the support and investment to deliver interventions to tackle local concerns. 

The VRU’s extensive programme of prevention and diversionary work is set out and measured through its strategy and outcomes framework. This can be found here. A Partnership Reference Group, chaired by the Mayor and formed of organisations across education, health, voluntary and community sector, the police and local authorities, meets quarterly and oversees the VRU's work.

Supporting delivery of Prevention Partnerships and the Serious Violence Duty

London’s VRU has responsibility for establishing and overseeing the Government’s Young Futures Prevention Partnerships, a key delivery programme for its broader Safer Streets mission.

Established in all 32 local authorities across the capital, they will involve local multi-agency partnership working to ensure the right support is available to children and young adults at risk of being drawn into crime; ensuring the right referral routes and the latest evidence on risk factors for young people are being used; and addressing local systemic challenges.

The Serious Violence Duty (SVD) came into effect nationally in January 2023 and ensures that councils and local services work together to better understand, develop and implement plans that prevent violence and reduce harm to communities. In London, Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) are responsible for delivering the SVD at a local level.

The VRU has supported local authorities on the development of Serious Violence Strategic Needs Assessments and Serious Violence Strategies – two of the requirements of the SVD – allocating Home Office funding across all London boroughs to support the reach and impact of prevention work. Further research has been carried out to support a new pan-London strategic assessment of violence and to consider how further analysis could be improved to support London boroughs. The VRU will continue to review and work with local authorities to refresh or revise their strategies where necessary.

Developed and co-ordinated by the VRU, each of the 32 London boroughs also have Violence and Vulnerability Reduction Action Plans, which ensure that there is a level of consistency in work to reduce violence across London and provide opportunity to share good practice, research and evidence. The VRU will continue to support local CSPs to annually review and refresh their plans.

Robust and timely data is essential for the work of violence reduction, and MOPAC and the VRU will work to improve community safety partners’ access to a range of pan-London community safety data covering policing, health, transport and fire safety to better understand local issues and trends.

Working in partnership to reduce the harms caused by the illegal drugs trade

The illegal drugs market is a major driver of crime in London and a source of serious harm to the physical and psychological health of Londoners. Findings from the Public Attitude Survey show that 37% of Londoners place drugs and drug-related crime in their top three policing priorities for their own local area. The Mayor continues to champion a public-health approach to tackling the harm drugs cause individuals, families and communities; and to contribute to the wider evidence base helping to inform policy and service delivery.

The Mayor's London Drugs Forum, jointly chaired by the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime and the Mayor's Senior Health Advisor, was set up in 2022 to strengthen co-ordination in the London response to illegal drugs and the harms they cause – and will continue to sit at the heart of this work during this Police and Crime Plan period. The Forum is a multi-agency partnership bringing together criminal justice and health agencies to develop an effective response to drug related harms and crimes across the city. Its vision is that there will be a reduction in both drug-related crime and drug-related deaths in London and that this can only be achieved through effective partnership working.

The London Drugs Forum will develop a new pan-London Drugs Action Plan to drive activity over this Police and Crime Plan period, informed by a Drugs Problem Profile developed by MOPAC’s Evidence and Insight Unit. This will align with the MPS’s Drugs Action Plan and Delivery Plan, which sets out how they are using their resources and powers to take tough enforcement action against the individuals, street gangs and organised crime groups driving the illegal drugs trade in London – such as Operation Yamata; working in partnership to ensure that children and young adults being exploited by drugs gangs are protected; and through Project ADDER, ensuring that drug users are diverted to appropriate treatment and recovery services.

During this Police and Crime Plan period, the Independent London Drugs Commission will publish the findings of their research into the effectiveness of UK drugs laws relating to cannabis, focusing on reducing the harmful health and crime consequences associated with this drug. The Mayor will consider and respond publicly to their recommendations once published.

Support the Metropolitan Police to bring violent criminals to justice

The MPS is central to the prevention and reduction of violence and criminal exploitation, and every day the men and women of the MPS confront serious danger and highly complex problems to keep others safe.

The Mayor has backed the MPS with record funding from City Hall and will continue to support the MPS and its work with local councils and other partner agencies in pursuing those responsible for violent crime on our streets and in domestic settings, and in removing deadly weapons from our communities.

Through the use of community intelligence and data, the MPS will continue to identify and pursue the most dangerous perpetrators in the city, as well as taking steps to prevent reoffending.

MOPAC’s 2022 Problem Profile of Violence, Gangs and Young People revealed that the majority (82%) of teenage homicides committed in the preceding two years involved the use of combat/Rambo-style knives, and the Mayor has consistently lobbied for tougher laws around the sale and possession of these weapons. He has welcomed the new Government’s actions to do so, and the MPS will enforce the newly strengthened laws preventing the sale and possession of such weapons in London. MOPAC will engage with the MPS, retailers and Trading Standards to support them in enforcing age restrictions on the sale of knives.  

Reducing robbery and knife-enabled robbery in London is a priority aim in this Plan. MOPAC will continue to work with the MPS, local authorities, other agencies, and businesses to ensure partners are joined up in their efforts to prevent robbery and tackle perpetrators.

Mobile phones are highly valuable devices and remain a primary target for robberies, often accompanied by the threat of violence. Decisive and coordinated action at home and internationally is needed to halt the growing global trade in stolen phones which is driving criminality and violence across the world. In London, alongside targeted police work to bring to justice the perpetrators of these robberies and the criminal supply chain, the Mayor and MPS Commissioner will continue to work with the Government and push for the mobile phone industry and cloud providers to use all of the technology and data at their disposal to block stolen phones from being repurposed.

The Mayor will continue to use his position to support and oversee the MPS in tackling the most harmful offenders using all of the tactics at its disposal in an effective way that commands the trust and confidence of Londoners. This includes supporting the intelligence-led and professionally conducted use of stop and search powers by officers, while ensuring that Londoners are able to see data and play a part in scrutinising its use, and by undertaking regular scrutiny of specialist policing tools such as VAWG 100 and the Violence Harm Assessment (VHA), an MPS tool to prevent and reduce violent crime by focusing resources on the most harmful violent offenders.

MOPAC will also work with the MPS and Government to ensure that the laws and sentencing guidelines in place are as effective as possible in supporting the police to tackle dangerous individuals and groups and reduce violent crime.

MOPAC will use its oversight and convening roles to scrutinise and support the MPS’s use of the ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ approach to reduce violence in neighbourhoods. This involves the police pursuing and prosecuting gang members, maintaining a presence in the area to prevent other criminal groups from taking control and working with partners to tackle the underlying drivers of crime to create a safer community for people to live, work, socialise and thrive.

Support agencies to improve the response to criminal exploitation

Often those caught up in offending are themselves victims of violence and exploitation. The MPS and other services play a vital role in being able to recognise those at risk and to work together to ensure they can get the support they need to be safe. This includes those with unique vulnerabilities such as care experience, neurodiversity, mental health needs, refugees, those with insecure immigration status, children and elderly people.

Over the last eight years, London has led the way in addressing this intersection of victimisation and offending. The MOPAC-commissioned London Gang Exit service provided support for children and young adults involved in, or at risk of, gang related violence or exploitation. Evaluation found that there was a significant reduction in the proportion of violent offenders in the 24 months after starting the programme, compared to before. 73% of children and young adults in MOPAC’s Rescue & Response programme reduced or completely stopped their involvement with County Lines.

MOPAC-commissioned services will continue to play an important part in protecting people from criminal exploitation. The new London Violence and Exploitation Support Service funded by the Mayor builds on the success of London Gang Exit and Rescue & Response, providing specialist support to ensure all children and young adults, regardless of their background, can thrive free from violence and exploitation; including those being exploited by criminal networks.

MOPAC has commissioned a new Appropriate Adult Service for Vulnerable Adults in London which, during this Police and Crime Plan period, will safeguard the interests of vulnerable adults suspected of a criminal offence, ensure they are treated in a fair and just manner and are able to participate effectively.

MOPAC will continue to be an active partner on the London Safeguarding Children Partnership Executive, working collaboratively with partner agencies to enhance the safety and wellbeing of children in London.

MOPAC will work with partners to conduct a review of the Reducing Criminalisation of Looked-After Children and Care Leavers Protocol, which sets out the roles and responsibilities of each group involved in the care of looked-after children and care leavers in reducing their involvement in crime. This includes children’s home carers, foster parents, police officers, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), health services and local authorities.

The MPS will deliver its five-year Children Strategy, which sets out how they will work with partners to keep children in London safe, build their trust and bring to justice those who abuse and exploit them. The MPS have made a full commitment to Child First within their Children Strategy. This means officers, in all their encounters with children, will see them as children first. MOPAC will support the Commissioner and hold him to account for its delivery.

The Mayor has welcomed the Government’s action to create a new offence of child criminal exploitation in the Crime and Policing Bill, which will support the MPS to take stronger action against gangs luring children and young adults into violence and crime. Backed with £1m investment from the Mayor, MOPAC and the VRU will also develop and deliver a range of activities to improve identification, awareness and support for girls and young women affected by gangs, violence and exploitation in London. 

Homelessness and the lack of safe and secure housing are key factors linked to increased risk of offending and victimisation. This is especially true for those leaving prison without accommodation or returning to housing linked to risk of serious harm. Lack of appropriate housing is also a key barrier for those with health or substance misuse treatment needs or specific vulnerabilities who are unable to access the right local support without secure housing. The Mayor will bring partners together across London, using the Greater London Authority (GLA) and MOPAC to convene those who can support improved housing outcomes for released prisoners, rough sleepers involved in crime and those whose accommodation status is linked to risk of serious offending. This will include collaborating with criminal justice partners on the Mayor’s Rough Sleeping Plan of Action and working with both central and local partners who hold the statutory responsibility in these areas.

Through its support and oversight, MOPAC will continue to drive further improvement in the MPS’s response to criminal exploitation and vulnerable people. In 2023, HMICFRS conducted an inspection – commissioned by the Mayor - into how the MPS handles cases involving the criminal and sexual exploitation of children. They found three causes of concern which have now been closed following concerted action by the MPS to address them, including delivering 565 additional officers into public protection, expanding child exploitation teams with an additional 72 officers, training more than 11,000 officers in the identification of child exploitation and investing in 64 additional posts to local multi-agency safeguarding hub referrals teams – increasing their capacity by 75 per cent. MOPAC will continue to support and oversee the MPS to ensure better outcomes for exploited and at-risk children. MOPAC will support the MPS to work with partners to review and improve the inter-agency response to missing children to address issues identified through inspections and reviews.

The Mayor will continue to stand up for migrant workers’ rights and protect them from exploitation, working with the Government in support of improvements in the response to modern slavery, sex trafficking and domestic servitude. MOPAC will work with the MPS, statutory and civil society partners throughout this Police and Crime Plan period to review and improve London’s response to modern slavery including for those most vulnerable to exploitation, including women, children and migrants. MOPAC will continue to work across the GLA to engage with Government on the need to mitigate barriers to reporting due to fear of immigration enforcement or criminalisation, and continue to work on local approaches.

Work with criminal justice agencies and other organisations to reduce violent reoffending

Preventing reoffending once a person convicted of a violent crime has completed their sentence is a necessary but complex contributor to achieving overall reductions in violent crime.

MOPAC and the MPS will continue to support an Integrated Offender Management (IOM) approach in London – targeting the most persistent offenders with a multi-agency response to manage their behaviour and reduce the impact of their offending on the community. The Mayor’s commitment in this area has included convening partners to develop London’s first IOM framework to improve quality and consistency and agree a focus on the most violent and harmful repeat offenders. This also includes commissioning specialist interventions to reduce repeat, violent offending across London and strengthen local partnerships. A new performance system has shown that London IOM is reducing reoffending by individuals on this cohortReference:5.

MOPAC has led the way nationally in its innovative use of GPS tagging to ensure that perpetrators of crimes including knife crime, domestic abuse and stalking comply with the conditions of their sentence, and that their victims are protected. Evaluation of the London Knife Crime Tagging pilot showed that over two years the level of reoffending by those tagged was five percentage points lower than when compared to a matched group of offenders who were not tagged. MOPAC will work with criminal justice partners to invest in and further develop the effective use of electronic monitoring in London during this Police and Crime Plan period.

MOPAC, the London Prisons Group (LPG) and other criminal justice system partners will deliver the new pan-London Prison Violence Reduction Strategy, developed following a needs analysis conducted across London’s prisons. The Strategy will test three priorities for reducing violence within prisons and through the gate into London’s communities - improving information sharing, improving custodial processes and commissioning violence reduction services to address underlying factors behind violent offending. Following the conclusion and evaluation of the pilots in three London prisons, we will work with the Government to consider how these changes might be rolled out across the system.

The Mayor welcomes the Government’s national commitment that every young person caught in possession of a knife will be referred to a Youth Offending Team and receive a mandatory plan to prevent reoffending. In line with the Child First approach, MOPAC will work with justice partners to see this commitment is implemented effectively in London and continue its work with youth justice partners to improve outcomes in both custody and the community.

The Mayor will continue to support the Youth 2 Adult Hub pilot in Newham - a collaboration between MOPAC, the Ministry of Justice and London Probation which launched in 2022 to support young adults in the criminal justice system to more effectively address the underlying causes of their offending. Evaluation by Sheffield Hallam and Middlesex Universities found that staff and young adults involved are “overwhelmingly positive about the hub and unanimously agreed this type of bespoke service should be rolled out” across the country"Reference:6. During this Police and Crime Plan period, subject to continued positive evaluation findings, MOPAC will explore options for wider rollout of this pilot with the Ministry of Justice.

Publish a new Strategy for making London a safer city for women and girls

The scale of VAWG and the misogyny that normalises it is a national emergency, with the NPCC estimating that at least one in every twelve women in England and Wales will be a victim of VAWG each yearReference:7. Victims and survivors of rape and sexual violence continue to experience extremely poor justice outcomes, including re-traumatisation and court backlogs. The nature of VAWG continues to evolve, with issues including tech-enabled and online harms becoming increasing challenges.

Addressing VAWG and its root causes is therefore a core priority for the Mayor, MOPAC and our partners.

Since 2016, the Mayor has overseen £233 million investment into tackling VAWG, funding a wide range of impactful work across priority areas of preventing and reducing VAWG; supporting all victims and survivors; holding perpetrators to account; and building trust and confidence.   

The Mayor will publish a refreshed VAWG Strategy for London in 2025, setting out how we will continue to take a public health approach, address the behaviour of men and boys responsible and make our city safe for every woman and girl. Ensuring a coordinated approach to working closely with our statutory and voluntary sector partners is essential, as the causes of VAWG are multiple and complex. The Strategy will consider how we will contribute to the Government’s national mission of halving VAWG in a decade. 

While recognising that women and girls are disproportionately affected by crimes such as domestic abuse, sexual violence, online harms and harassment, our work will continue to recognise and respond to the prevalence and impact on male and gender-diverse victims of these appalling crimes in London. It will incorporate:

Holding perpetrators to account

Supporting and overseeing the MPS and strengthening partnerships with other organisations to bring more perpetrators of VAWG to justice for their crimes. This also includes working with partners to provide effective interventions for perpetrators of VAWG including stalking, and commissioning specialist programmes for the management of high-risk domestic abuse perpetrators to protect victims and reduce repeat offending.

Preventing and reducing VAWG

Addressing the harmful attitudes, behaviours and norms that are rooted in misogyny, and that enable and normalise VAWG in society.

Supporting all victims and survivors

Creating a holistic, survivor-centred approach to victim services, and supporting the criminal justice system to embed a trauma-informed approach, tackle delays, and keep victims engaged in the process so that justice can be done, and the public kept safe.

Building trust and confidence amongst victims and survivors of VAWG

The MPS and the wider justice system must command the trust and confidence of victims and survivors of VAWG. Without it, offences will remain unreported, perpetrators will remain at large, and victims and survivors will miss out on available support.

Support London’s counter-terrorism preparedness

The threat of terrorism remains a reality for London and cities around the world. Since taking office, the Mayor has led extensive efforts to tackle extremist ideologies in London and to support the hard work of the police, security services and partners in preventing terror attacks and ensuring that the city is as prepared as possible should an attack take place. The London CONTEST (Counter Terrorism Strategy) Board was established by MOPAC and London Councils in 2017 to be the primary forum for partners to co-ordinate and collaborate on activity to counter terrorism. Through the Board, during this Police and Crime Plan period MOPAC will work closely with the police, emergency services, security partners, TfL, local authorities and communities to tackle the threat of terrorism, understanding how the threat has evolved and changed and how partners can work together to mitigate any risk and keep Londoners safe.

The Mayor wants all Londoners to be safe and feel safe in their city – whoever they are, wherever they are and at any time of day or night.

Neighbourhood crimes such as burglary can be deeply distressing to the victims, causing them material and emotional harm – as well as reducing their confidence in going about their daily lives. Some types of neighbourhood crimes – in line with the findings of the LSE research into the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on crime – have increased. Findings from the Public Attitude Survey show that in Q2 2024/25, 48% of Londoners were worried about crime in their local areaReference:8.

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) can also significantly damage people’s quality of life and the sense of safety in communities. In the Public Attitude Survey, nearly a quarter of Londoners (23%) identified ASB in their top three priorities for policing and safety in London. Often it can intersect with other issues including VAWG, substance misuse and mental health needs.

In the consultation for this Police and Crime Plan, Londoners told us that they felt most safe at home, at work or education, and online. They felt least safe in town centres, pubs and clubs, parks and open spaces and on public transport. Commonly cited crime concerns included robbery, shoplifting, theft and vandalism. Working with the police, TfL and local authorities to make public spaces and transport safer was highlighted as a very important priority.

Confidence in policing has been decreasing nationally. Office for National Statistics data for the year to September 2024 shows that in England and Wales, 48.2% of people agreed that their police service was doing an excellent or good job in their local area. Levels of confidence were slightly lower in London (City of London & MPS - 47.9%) and lower still in the other most similar major urban areas - Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and West Midlands – where confidence was at 44.7%, 45.6% & 43.8% respectively).

While reducing violent crime and the serious harm it causes to Londoners remains the first priority in this Plan, the Mayor is determined to do everything in his power to make all Londoners safer from all crimes, increase their confidence that the MPS are doing a good job in their local area and reduce their fear of crime and ASB.

During this Police and Crime Plan period, the Mayor will focus on what more can be done to address these issues, using the powers, resources and influence at his disposal to support stronger neighbourhood policing; improve joint working between the police and other organisations to prevent crime, resolve complex problems and build community cohesion; make transport and travelling safer; and contribute to national efforts to keep people safe online. In doing so, he will continue to use data to ensure that differences in safety and confidence between different communities and geographies are understood and will support all partner agencies to reflect this in their work.

By taking this approach during this Police and Crime Plan period, the Mayor’s priority aims are to:

• Reduce the likelihood of Londoners becoming victims of crime – making Londoners safer.
• Increase Londoners’ feelings of safety when walking alone in their local area after dark – this is an important benchmark of quality of life and confidence to engage fully in local life at any time.
• Reduce Londoners’ level of concern about anti-social behaviour – this is important for quality of life and confidence.
• Increase Londoners’ confidence in the Metropolitan Police Service – measuring how many Londoners feel that the MPS is doing a good job in their local area.

By delivering these aims, the Mayor’s ambition is to make London an even better place to live, raise a family, study, work, do business and enjoy recreation. It will contribute to better physical and mental health for Londoners and promote stronger communities and economic prosperity.

To achieve this, the Mayor will:

Protect and strengthen neighbourhood policing

Neighbourhood policing remains the bedrock of community confidence and safety in London. The Mayor has prioritised investment for local policing throughout his time in office, making difficult decisions on council tax and business rates to mitigate the impact of austerity on front line policing – including funding 1,300 officers for London.  The Mayor has welcomed the Government’s new Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee to have 13,000 additional neighbourhood policing officers, PCSOs and special constables in dedicated neighbourhood policing roles nationally. He will work with the Government throughout this Police and Crime Plan period to get the funding we need to strengthen neighbourhood policing in London and further crack down on crime and ASB.

It is also essential that the MPS does everything it can to maximise the resources at its disposal. To this end, the Mayor supports efforts by the MPS to:

• Work with partners to ensure that police time and resources are dedicated to policing matters, not drawn away to cover gaps in the provision of other services.
• Reform its workforce mix, ensuring that roles are filled with the right people with the right skills and powers – releasing as many warranted officers as possible from roles that don’t need their police powers into others that do.

While resourcing is vital, strengthening neighbourhood policing must also include a commitment to improving the quality of the service provided to Londoners. Local engagement and treatment – the feeling that the police listen, understand and deal with issues that matter to communities; and are helpful, friendly, approachable, fair and respectful - is the strongest driver of confidence.

To improve confidence, it is therefore important that the police and partners provide a more effective service to all communities and tackle neighbourhood crime and ASB issues that matter most to local people. Police visibility and local information provision are also important elements of neighbourhood policing that shape confidence. External factors including personal security and community crime problems are also associated with confidence. Find out more about the drivers of trust and confidence here.

In this Police and Crime Plan period, the Mayor will continue to support the MPS in delivering the strengthened community crime fighting approach set out in New Met for London, which emphasises the vital role of neighbourhood policing in cutting crime; understanding Londoners’ crime concerns and responding accordingly; and working more closely with partners in the community to prevent crime.

Improve how organisations work together to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB)

The Mayor is committed to strengthening partnerships and collaborations in order to tackle complex issues and deliver long-term improvements in quality of life for Londoners.

During the consultation for this Plan, we heard about the value and impact of effective local partnership work - driven through London’s Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) – in preventing and reducing crime and ASB. There are 32 Borough CSPs in London – bringing together representatives from the police, the London Fire Brigade (LFB), local authorities, the health service and probation – reflecting the principle that no one agency in isolation can prevent crime. CSPs have statutory responsibilities such as addressing ASB, reducing reoffending, and substance misuse. We heard examples of excellent partnership work through CSPs helping to deliver results for local communities, but we also heard about opportunities to strengthen engagement from regional partners, increase information sharing across the partnership, and promote integration between partner agencies to increase CSPs’ effectiveness.  

While MOPAC cannot and should not direct local CSPs, we recognise that as a co-operating partner with CSPs across the city we can play a part in helping to address these issues. During this Police and Crime Plan period, MOPAC will work with London's local authorities to develop stronger engagement, co-ordination and delivery. This will include consideration of how we convene with partners on joint priorities; support joined up working between regional agencies and CSPs; and to address crime trends which cut across local authority boundaries.

The Mayor will use his wider influence in support of efforts to cut neighbourhood crimes. This includes advocating for strengthened sentencing guidelines for organised criminal gang members found to be involved in vehicle theft; and working with vehicle manufacturers, insurers and the Government to encourage further steps to make vehicles and vehicle components more secure. 

MOPAC hosts Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (PCPI) on behalf of policing nationally, which will continue to provide trusted advice and support to help prevent crime in communities in London and across the country. This includes the Secured By Design initiative, which since 1989 has provided a nationally recognised, police-approved standard for all security products that can deter and reduce crime; the Park Mark Safer Parking Scheme - a national standard for UK car parks that have low crime and measures in place to ensure the safety of people and vehicles; and the Police Crime Prevention Academy – which provides courses and qualifications on crime prevention for public and private sectors. PCPI also offers a comprehensive resource of advice and support on preventing crime, from bike theft to cyber security. During this Police and Crime Plan period, MOPAC will also liaise with agencies such as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Ofcom and the National Vehicle Crime Working Group (NVCWG) to enhance their responses to acquisitive crime.

During this Police and Crime Plan period the ASB Forum convened by MOPAC will provide strategic leadership to tackle ASB in London and drive improvements to local responses. The ASB Forum will also continue to improve partnership working between the police, local authorities and other partner agencies to ensure a co-ordinated response to ASB across the capital.

Throughout the Police and Crime Plan period, MOPAC will work with the MPS, borough councils and all community safety partners to encourage effective multiagency responses to persistent and high-harm ASB. It will also engage with the Government in the development and delivery of the new Respect Orders. To support learning and service delivery, MOPAC will work with London local authorities, the MPS, and other partners to develop and expand an ASB Good Practice Library hosted on the MOPAC website.

MOPAC, the police, the GLA and TfL will work closely with local authorities, landowners, businesses and residents to develop safer streets and public spaces that Londoners feel confident and safe in using, day and night – including through the use of technology such as Closed-circuit Television (CCTV). This includes upgrades to the digital infrastructure of London to improve the quality and reliability of CCTVReference:9 and a trial being run by TfL and the MPS to assess the effectiveness of CCTV in bus shelters in improving the safety and security of bus customers and the confidence to travel.

We know from the Public Attitude Survey that women in London feel less safe than men, particularly when walking alone in their local area after dark. In 2024, TfL, in partnership with MOPAC, launched a trial of Women’s Safety Audits across different types of locations in five London boroughs. During this Police and Crime Plan period, TfL and MOPAC will work with local authorities and other partners to embed learning from the trial, using audits to make public spaces safer, and feel safer, for women, girls and gender diverse people.

The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) Creating Places that Work for Women and Girls Handbook builds on an informed evidence base and has led to the creation of a Women’s Safety Charter agreed with the MPS, TfL, local authorities and businesses that is delivering a joined-up approach to vulnerable people’s safety in the public realm in and around Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.  

More information on our approach to making public spaces safer for women and girls will be set out in the Mayor’s VAWG Strategy.

Building a stronger partnership with business

The Mayor’s London Growth Plan, released at the end of February 2025, sets out the aim to create place for growth. However, to create an environment for more growth, we need to tackle the basics which includes reducing crime and anti-social behaviour experienced by businesses, as well as exploring ways to increase reporting and intelligence, including effective use of technology.  

As well as driving London’s economic prosperity, business also plays an important role in supporting London’s safety. During this Police and Crime Plan period, the Mayor wants to strengthen relationships and partnerships with and between London’s businesses, the police and other partners – not only to keep businesses safe and address their crime concerns – but also to maximise the important contribution businesses can make to the safety of our capital. 

There has been a significant increase in retail crime across the country, with the British Retail Consortium reporting around 737,000 incidents of abuse or violence in 2023/24. The overall cost of retail crime was £4.2 billion, up from £3.3 billion the previous yearReference:10.  Retail crime has a significant impact on London’s reputation as a shopping destination, as well as having a negative impact on businesses and their staff. In response to this increase both MOPAC and the MPS Business Crime Hub have increased engagement with retailers and other crime prevention organisations in London to identify how together we can better tackle these crimes. 

During this Police and Crime Plan period, the MPS will continue to deliver the commitments in its Retail Crime Strategy. Central to this effort is the MPS-led London Retail Harm Reduction Partnership, which brings business representatives, police and other justice agencies together to share intelligence and best practice. The MPS Business Crime Hub will also work collaboratively with businesses and crime prevention organisations, such as the Safer Business Network and Business Improvement Districts, to improve reporting of retail crimes through the Operation Retail initiative.  

MOPAC will continue to work with police and the city’s hospitality, culture and nightlife businesses, supporting the richness, vibrancy and safety of evening and night-time destinations. We will explore how local policing teams, London-wide licensing expertise and the business community can work together to address specific crime risks and support a safe and thriving 24-hour economy, whilst bringing significant support to wider policing and safety efforts through projects such as Operation Makesafe to prevent child sexual and criminal exploitation, and the Mayor’s Women’s Night Safety Charter.

Everyone should be able to work in safety in London and the Mayor will continue to support and strive for stronger measures to protect people from violence and abuse in the workplace. MOPAC will ensure that police continue working with small businesses and trade unions to stamp out unacceptable violence against shop workers and frontline workers, including transport workers. Assaults against shop workers are not currently distinguishable in law from assaults committed against other members of the public. The Mayor welcomes the Government’s commitment to create a new specific offence of assaulting a shopworker (Crime and Policing Bill) and will offer full support for the speedy development and implementation of this change. He will also lobby for tougher penalties and swifter action through the courts for shoplifting and welcomes the Government’s commitment to review the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 that sets out a maximum sentence for "low-value shoplifting". 

In support of the MPS and partners’ efforts to reduce retail crime, MOPAC will work with the Safer Business Network, MPS Business Crime Hub and National Business Crime Centre to encourage businesses to use best practice guidance to help them prevent crime and keep staff safe. MOPAC will also work with criminal justice partners to look at ways to ensure justice is delivered when crimes occur, with victims receiving a high-quality response, which will help to increase confidence in reporting.  

Make travel safer across London

The safety and security of transport and travelling in London is vital to how safe the city is and feels. Billions of journeys are made every year, most going without incident. While every journey should be safe – and feel safe – the Mayor and MOPAC recognise that this is not always the case. Some groups are more vulnerable to victimisation and harm or are more concerned about their safety and security when travelling on public transport, by foot or by bike. MOPAC will work alongside the police, TfL and local authorities to make sure that travelling in the capital is safe and secure.

Londoners’ concern about their safety and security when travelling includes risk and harm on London’s roads caused by criminal, reckless and antisocial road-user behaviour, and particularly for people walking, cycling or motorcycling, who are most vulnerable to this risk. The MPS makes a vital contribution to keeping roads safe through its traffic enforcement activity and providing justice for people who are killed or seriously injured on our roads due to criminal, antisocial and reckless behaviours through its post-collision response (including incident response, collision investigation and improving justice and care for victims).

The Mayor and MOPAC will continue to oversee and support the MPS’s work to disrupt crime and prevent harm on the roads, from bike theft to speeding.

The MPS is a key delivery partner in the Mayor’s Vision Zero Action Plan, working alongside TfL and local authorities, to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries on London’s roads by 2041. The Vision Zero Action Plan will be refreshed in 2025, which will restate the Mayor’s commitment to reducing road danger and will set out the MPS’s ongoing contribution and its priorities for tackling it. MOPAC will work with TfL and the GLA to consider how actions set out in the forthcoming Vision Zero Action Plan relating to policing can also be reflected in our performance measurement and oversight of the MPS.

Stand with communities against hatred and intolerance

London’s diversity is its greatest strength, and our capital remains a beacon of freedom and tolerance. Hatred – offline and online - must not be allowed to erode our vibrant community life in London. Hostility towards people because of who they are - or who they are perceived to be - must be called out and dealt with, and the Mayor remains committed to reducing hate crime in all its formsReference:11. The Mayor will continue to use his position and profile to celebrate diversity and stand against hatred and intolerance in London.

London’s communities are the first line of defence against hatred and extremism.  In the aftermath of devastating and tragic terrorist attacks in London during 2017, the Mayor launched his Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Programme. This delivered the most comprehensive city-wide engagement and review exercise in this policy area ever. One of the outcomes was the creation of the Mayor’s Shared Endeavour Fund in 2020 to provide financial support to civil society groups delivering projects which directly counter extremism, offer positive alternatives to vile ideologies and encourage others to stand up to hate and intolerance. In its first four years the Fund supported 94 projects which worked with over 141,000 Londoners. Independent evaluation has found that the Fund has consistently been “successful in supporting CSOs to build Londoners’ resilience to radicalisation and extremist recruitment and reduce intolerance, hate and extremism in the capital”. Achievements of projects supported in Call 4 of the Fund include: a 19% increase in beneficiaries’ awareness and concern about intolerance, hate and extremism; a 28% improvement in beneficiaries’ sense of belonging in their communities; a 36% improvement in beneficiaries’ tolerance for difference and diversity; a 24% increase in beneficiaries’ ability and intention to challenge prejudiced and hateful views and a 25% increase in beneficiaries’ ability to critically engage with information on social media.

During this Police and Crime Plan period, through the Shared Endeavour Fund the Mayor will invest in more community projects that strengthen communities against extremism, encourage more Londoners to stand up to hate, better protect those vulnerable to radicalisation and stop the spread of hateful ideologies. These are issues of national impact and national importance.

As a global city, world events can often lead to tensions and crimes on the streets of London. The Mayor will continue to work with the MPS, CPS, communities and partner organisations to bear down on spikes in hate crime such as antisemitism and Islamophobia in London – both of which have increased following conflict in the Middle East.

MOPAC will continue to convene statutory agencies, partners and communities to improve our collective response to hate crime. This includes investing in specialist support services for victims of hate crime; working with trusted partners and leading experts to provide free safety and security advice to places of worship; and by continuing to support the work of National Hate Crime Awareness Week.

The Mayor has committed to establishing a Transport Hate Crime and VAWG Task Force to build on existing partnership efforts to tackle hate crime on public transport and that this also extends to disability hate crime. During the consultation for this Plan, we heard from disabled Londoners about particular concerns they had about hate crime on public transport - and research by the equality charity Scope has found that 23 per cent of disabled people across the UK avoided using public transport after experiencing negative attitudes or behaviours while travellingReference:12. MOPAC will ensure that the voices and wishes of disabled Londoners – and those of all communities – are heard and acted on by this Task Force.

Contribute to keeping Londoners safe online

Today, many Londoners live a significant proportion of their lives online – as a means of communication, accessing social media, doing business, gaming, banking and many other services and tasks. Tech-enabled abuse, online crime and fraud represent a huge volume of offending and victimisation, presenting unique challenges to the police, safety professionals and victim support services due to its global nature and technological complexity.

During this Police and Crime Plan period, MOPAC, the MPS and others will work together to evolve and strengthen our ability to keep Londoners safe in this complex environment. To inform and improve the partnership response, MOPAC’s Evidence and Insight Team will conduct research into the prevalence of different types of online harm experienced by Londoners and any disproportionality in victimisation.

Policing plays a key role. The MPS will work proactively with partners and private industry to tackle the online enablers of fraud, and strengthen capacity, develop skills and work with partners to pursue and prosecute the use of crypto and virtual assets to launder criminal finance and improve the recovery of criminal assets.

Through its oversight and convening roles, MOPAC will work with the MPS and other statutory services to ensure that safety responses using technology consider assessment of further harm due to tech-enabled abuse. MOPAC will engage with the Government as it develops a new national fraud strategy. MOPAC will also monitor the implementation of the Online Safety Act and work with partners to ensure that the experiences of victims in London of tech-enabled abuse inform the development of national policy and regulation.

Throughout this Police and Crime Plan period, the Mayor will use his position and influence to call on tech companies to do more to protect the customers they rely on from harm, and for the Government to ensure regulation is meaningful and effective, building upon commitments from previous collaboration such as our tech-enabled VAWG Roundtable in March 2024.

MOPAC will work to ensure that victims of tech abuse are properly supported and support the work of the London Cyber Resilience Centre, which provides expert advice and support to small- and medium-sized organisations in London to help them keep safe from online threats.

Trust is fundamental to our system of policing by consent. The police wield unique powers on behalf of the state, including the powers to detain people and to use force on them. It is essential that police powers are used lawfully, proportionately and fairly - and that different groups within society feel equally engaged with, confident in, protected by and trusting of the police.

Police accountability and standards - feeling the MPS maintains high standards, responds to feedback, is held accountable and represents the communities it serves - are the strongest drivers of trust. 

In June 2022, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) placed the MPS into an enhanced monitoring status after finding fundamental issues with MPS call handling, professional standards, and systematic failures across the force. In March 2023 Baroness Casey published her review into culture and standards within the MPS, revealing deep-seated performance and cultural issues.

With the support of the Mayor and following consultation with over ten thousand Londoners and thousands of MPS officers, the MPS published their reform plan, a New Met for London. In it, Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley set out his vision for reforming the MPS and delivering more trust, less crime and higher standards.

Important progress has been made. In January 2025, considering significant improvements made by the MPS in performance and transforming culture, HMICFRS confirmed that it would be moving the service out of its Engage process of enhanced monitoring.

As a result of these improvements, emergency calls are being answered faster, vetting is being strengthened, neighbourhood policing is being revitalised and significant improvements made in tackling child sexual exploitation, including around missing children and victim-blaming language. The Mayor has thanked the Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, MPS officers and staff for their hard work to deliver this transformation.

The latest data from the Public Attitude Survey shows that in the 12 months to Q2 2024/25, 72% of Londoners believed the MPS was an organisation they could trust, and 54% of Londoners believed the MPS was changing for the better.

There is more to be done to increase trust and address disproportionality which persists. LGBTQ+, disabled, mixed-ethnicity and Black Londoners report lower levels of trust in their police serviceReference:13. Intersectional analysis by MOPAC has found that young Black women have the lowest levels of trust in policing. The Mayor will continue to work with the Commissioner to address these issues and further embed and build on the progress already made.

During this Police and Crime Plan period, the Mayor’s priority aims are to:

• Increase Londoners’ trust in the MPS, supporting and overseeing the Commissioner’s continued drive to deliver a New Met for London.
• Reduce gaps in the levels of trust and confidence between different groups – by increasing those figures for groups where trust and confidence is lowest.

By delivering these aims, the Mayor’s ambition is to increase the safety of Londoners and their sense of safety. There are both operational and crime reduction benefits to doing so - those with higher levels of trust are more likely to report crime, provide intelligence and comply with policing.

Strengthen oversight of policing

During this Police and Crime Plan period, MOPAC will continue to strengthen its oversight of policing across all the MPS’s areas of activity, increase community participation in police oversight and work closely with MPS colleagues to support them in delivering the reforms and improvements Londoners expect.

The London Policing Board, established by the Mayor in response to one of Baroness Casey’s recommendations, will remain at the heart of our oversight of police reform. The London Policing Board brings members with a variety of expertise, skills, insights and experiences to support the Mayor in overseeing and supporting the MPS; and improves the openness and transparency by which the MPS is held to account. The Mayor will continue to Chair this Board throughout this term.

As well as the delivery of the New Met for London Plan, MOPAC – with the support of the London Policing Board - will also scrutinise the delivery of other key MPS strategies, including their London Race Action Plan, Children Strategy, VAWG Action Plan and Culture Plan.

MOPAC will continue to hold the MPS to account for implementing recommendations made by HMICFRS, including those in the Police Efficiency, Effectiveness and Legitimacy (PEEL) inspection and in its review of the MPS’s handling of the criminal and sexual exploitation of children.

To provide further external assessment of the MPS’s progress in reforming during this Police and Crime Plan period, the Mayor will work with the MPS to commission an independent review of progress against the recommendations in Baroness Casey’s Review.

MOPAC will continue to support the work of the London Policing Ethics Panel, who provide impartial and expert advice to the Mayor and the MPS on the often-complex ethical issues surrounding policing and crime.

Contribute to a fairer, more transparent accountability system

The Mayor will continue to support measures to improve police accountability and the development of a system that has the confidence of police officers and the communities they serve. He has welcomed the Government’s proposals that better acknowledge the difficult role police officers have in keeping the public safe; strengthen the legal recourse the IOPC and victims have; and aim to improve the efficiency of the system for all involved.

MOPAC holds important statutory responsibilities to make sure that the accountability system is fair and transparent for police officers and communities – making an important contribution to achieving the Mayor’s aims in this Police and Crime Plan period. This includes:

• Administering the London Independent Custody Visiting scheme, in which volunteers visit MPS custody suites unannounced to check on standards of service and on the welfare of detainees.
• Handling Police Complaints Reviews, through which Londoners can request a review of the handling of a complaint by the MPS if they are dissatisfied with the outcome.
• Managing Police Appeal Tribunals, where police officers, police staff and volunteers can appeal a decision of gross misconduct by a police misconduct hearing. These tribunals are chaired by independent, Legally Qualified Chairs appointed by MOPAC.
• Managing the process for forfeiting the employer contributions to the pensions of officers found to have committed a criminal offence linked to their police service and pursuing this option whenever appropriate.

Alongside this, MOPAC and the MPS will work jointly with communities to co-design and build a new model for police scrutiny, with the aim of making it easier and simpler for Londoners to scrutinise the work of the police, including the use of police powers such as stop and search and Taser, and to influence change in their local area. This work is informed by the findings of a research by Black Thrive, the findings of the Casey review and further work with key community groups, local partners and leaders in the MPS to consider the practical steps we will need to take to deliver measurable impact.  

In recognition of the ongoing disparities in levels of trust in policing amongst different groups of Londoners, the Mayor has created new forums for deaf and disabled and LGBTQ+ Londoners to engage with the MPS, TfL and the LFB to ensure their voices are heard in shaping the future of our city; support the MPS to improve their policing and engagement; and support the MPS and MOPAC to be truly anti-discriminatory organisations, with workforces that are more representative of the population they serve. These forums will continue, and we will work with them to better understand how they are impacted by crime, how they can be better protected and identify gaps in service provision.

It is crucial that we have the right support in place for all victims of crime and a system that delivers justice efficiently and effectively. A justice system which effectively holds criminals to account is the foundation of a functioning society and contributes to stronger social cohesion. Victims who receive proper support may be less vulnerable to future victimisation, less likely to withdraw from the justice process and less likely to suffer trauma, promoting their ability to re-engage productively in society and reducing demand on health and social care resources.

Offering victims and bereaved families support helps them cope and recover by providing emotional and psychological services to process trauma, fear, anger, and grief. An effective criminal justice system provides victims with a sense of justice and closure and ensures that those who commit crimes are held accountable for their actions. A well-functioning criminal justice system will ensure that victims remain engaged in the process, improving justice delivery and providing the outcomes they are seeking.  This will increase confidence and help to reduce reoffending and re-victimisation, which will positively impact on crime levels. However, we know many victims and survivors – particularly those of rape and sexual violence - continue to experience extremely poor justice outcomes, including re-traumatisation and long delays in seeking justice due to court backlogs.

The Mayor has prioritised improving the services and support available to victims in London since coming to office in 2016 in the face of central funding cuts and the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to new investment, new partnerships and innovation in the way services are commissioned and delivered, the Mayor is continuing to encourage change to ensure victims of crime are better supported at every stage of the justice process.

However, much of the responsibility, funding and power over the criminal justice system rests with central Government. During this Police and Crime Plan term, the Mayor will work with the Government to support its plans to reform and improve the justice system.

During this Police and Crime Plan period, the Mayor’s priority aims are:

• Reducing repeat victimisation and reoffending – contributing to his wider ambition of an overall reduction in victim-based crime.
• Stabilising and increasing victim satisfaction levels. We will also begin to measure people's confidence in the wider CJS, and work with partners to increase that over the Police and Crime Plan period.

Over the next decade the Mayor wants to see a reduction in the number of crimes, swifter justice and a better service for those who are victims of crime to help them cope and recover. Delivering these priority aims during this Police and Crime Plan period will be important milestones.

To achieve these aims, the Mayor will:

Support and oversee the MPS to deliver a better service for victims of crime

The latest data for Q2 2024/25 shows that overall victim satisfaction in the service Londoners have received from the MPS is 60%. Disabled and LGBTQ+ victims of crime reported significantly lower satisfaction in the service they received from the MPS than other LondonersReference:14.

Evidence shows that there are four key drivers of victim satisfaction with policing – ease of contact, police actions, follow-up and treatment. Through the New Met for London Plan, the MPS has taken important steps to improve the service it provides to victims of crime, backed with funding from the Mayor. This includes a significant improvement in its call handling, and the creation of Victim Focus Desks (VFDs) - a free helpline for victims who have reported their crimes to the police, providing updates on their case, information about the justice process, and advice on how to access specialist support. MOPAC continues to work with the VFDs to support their work and improve pathways into MOPAC commissioned victim services.

However, there is more to be done to ensure that the MPS provides a high-quality service every time to victims of crime. MOPAC has an important oversight role in ensuring this improvement happens, and that it is informed by the voices of victims.

During this Police and Crime Plan period, MOPAC will work with the MPS and the City of London Police to establish Victim Voice Forums for groups identified in Baroness Casey’s Review as having low trust in the MPS – Black communities, victims/survivors of violence against women and girls, deaf, disabled and neurodiverse people, children and young adults and LGBTQ+ people. MOPAC will also work with the MPS to embed recommendations from Operation Soteria – which originated in MOPAC and has led to national change in policing - to improve the standards of investigation and support for victims of rape and sexual assault. More information around this activity will be outlined in the Mayor’s VAWG strategy.

In order to inform its oversight of the MPS, MOPAC will continue to conduct its User Satisfaction Survey and Online Victim Satisfaction Survey, hearing from thousands of victims of crime each year about the service they have received from the MPS.

Further analysis of these surveys underlines the importance of getting the service for victims of crime right, especially for Londoners who report vulnerabilities. Victims who identify as vulnerable and who said their needs were met by the police were more satisfied (76%) than those who report their vulnerability was identified but not catered for by the police (73%). The least satisfied group in this context were victims who said the police identified their vulnerability but did not feel it was catered for (19%).

Support improvement in the criminal justice system in London

The national criminal justice system is in crisis. Extensive and continuing backlogs in the courts have left thousands of victims and defendants waiting months if not years for their cases to be heard. This can result in victims not receiving justice. The 2021 London Rape Review found that 65% of cases end in victim withdrawal. Underinvestment in the secure estate has resulted in offenders around the country being released from their custodial sentences and back into the community early – with knock-on impacts on probation, policing, victims and communities.

The Mayor has consistently lobbied for action, and with MOPAC will work with the Victims’ Commissioner for London and the Government to do everything possible to address the challenges ahead, recognising there is a long journey of systemic reform ahead to deliver a more effective criminal justice system in London.

Areas for action include:

• Driving a more joined up and integrated approach to criminal justice across the capital, which: puts the needs of victims and witnesses at the forefront of any approach; and ensures that reducing reoffending is a central product of the system thereby increasing public safety and benefitting local communities.
• Raising awareness of the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (Victims’ Code) and overseeing compliance with the Code in London
• Supporting successful implementation of recommendations from the Independent Sentencing Review and Criminal Courts Review, ensuring victims and survivors are central to this and the system becomes a more sustainable and balanced model that prioritises public protection and reducing reoffending.
• Delivering on the findings and recommendations of the review of CSA case progression in the CJS.
• Working with partners across the CJS to support in prisons and probation in their response to managing prisons overcrowding.

The Victims’ Commissioner for London will carry out research into the reasons why many victims choose to discontinue legal proceedings before they reach trial – an issue known as victim attrition. The findings of this research will help to inform future work to address the reasons for victim withdrawal and help more victims of crime get justice.  

During this Police and Crime Plan period, MOPAC will use its convening role to bring London’s criminal justice partners together to explore how to work more effectively together in pursuit of improving the victim experience, focussing on addressing drivers of dissatisfaction and attrition identified through research.

Improving the data available on victim satisfaction across the whole justice system – not just policing - remains an important priority for MOPAC. With different agencies holding different datasets, no single organisation has a complete picture of the victim experience – which makes it more difficult to pinpoint issues and take action to improve service. During this Plan period, MOPAC, alongside the Victims’ Commissioner for London, will continue to work with LCJB partners towards more data-sharing and improved measurement of victim experience.  

The members of the London Disproportionality Board will work together to develop a more co-ordinated, whole systems approach to reducing ethnic disproportionality for adults, young adults and children across the criminal justice system, building on the continued delivery of the Disproportionality in Youth Justice Action Plan.

Work with criminal justice partners to reduce reoffending

Partnership work is essential to address all the conditions known to contribute to repeat offending, such as health issues, substance abuse, lack of skills development and employment opportunities and insecure housing status. Working together, the partnership of agencies with a role to play in reducing reoffending in London has achieved results, with IOM reoffending rates declining over the last six yearsReference:15.

The Mayor is committed to working with partners locally and nationally to further bear down on reoffending and improve rehabilitation. This will ensure offenders are managed in the community effectively and robustly, according to the risk they present. MOPAC will continue to use its convening powers to support criminal justice partners and boroughs to work together to improve the efficiency of the criminal justice system. This includes the London Criminal Justice Board monitoring data and driving change to improve justice outcomes.

In line with the Government’s manifesto commitment to conduct a strategic review of probation governance, MOPAC will work alongside regional prison and probation partners during this Police and Crime Plan period to strengthen coordination and improve the delivery of essential offender management services. This will focus on the areas which will have the biggest impact, including co-commissioning and delivering stronger community interventions.

MOPAC will continue to work with London Criminal Justice Board partners to deliver the London Diversion Strategy, which aims to deal with the underlying causes of offending before they escalate and to reduce unnecessary criminalisation, particularly of young adults and women. MOPAC, working with the Government, will continue to test new approaches where diversion can be more effective in preventing offending by early intervention and reducing the demand on the system.

Women in the Criminal Justice System are some of the most vulnerable people in society, with complex needs linked to victimisation and mental health, as well as their risk of reoffending. Building on MOPAC’s success in leading a specific, gendered approach to the needs of women in London at risk of reoffending, we will work with central Government and the Women’s Justice Board to continue to improve how this system works. London's Blueprint for a Whole System Approach to Women in Contact with the Criminal Justice System provides the central mechanism for MOPAC to convene partners around the distinct challenges facing women. Between the Blueprint’s publication in 2019 and 2022, there was a greater percentage decrease in women sentenced to immediate custody in London (35%) as compared to the national decrease (30%)Reference:16. MOPAC will continue to deliver the Blueprint with partners during this Police and Crime Plan period and review shared plans to support these women in light of new opportunities from the Women’s Justice Board and the sentencing review.

Commission high-quality support services for victims

Improving the quality and availability of support services for victims has been a priority for the Mayor and he has backed this with record funding.

During this Police and Crime Plan period, the Mayor remains committed to ensuring victims in London can access high quality help when they need it, through commissioning services and working with partners to integrate and improve service provision.

MOPAC commissions a combination of generalist and specialist support services, meeting the unique needs of victims of certain crime types and those from underserved communities. Our ambition is that those services can become more cohesive, working more closely and efficiently with one another and with the MPS to make victims’ experience as seamless and supportive as possible.

During this Police and Crime Plan period, the services summarised below will work with partners in a coordinated way to ensure more victims are supported and able to navigate to the right source of support as easily as possible. MOPAC will continue to ensure that the voice of victims is at the centre of this work.

• The Adult Victim Service and Pre-trial Witness Support Service delivers practical and emotional support to adult victims of crime in London on their journey to cope and recover. Victim Voice groups will ensure that MOPAC can continue to gather feedback from to further improve the service.
• The Young Londoners’ Victim Service provides one-to-one support from trained caseworkers in a confidential space that is suitable for children. The service supports children aged 4-17 and any trusted adults in their lives.
• MOPAC commissions a variety of support, therapeutic and specialist services to help victims and survivors of VAWG, including victims of domestic abuse, stalking, sexual assault and rape. Alongside this MOPAC will continue to address challenges that victims and survivors face within the criminal justice system and in accessing sexual violence support services. Further detail on our approach to providing victim services will be included in the Mayor’s forthcoming refreshed VAWG Strategy.
• The Restorative Justice Service enables victims and offenders to explore a range of restorative practices suited to their individual circumstances and will continue to support the development of restorative practice in London by bringing together partners to drive collaboration and strategic change.
• The Hate Crime Victim Service brings together a range of specialist organisations to provide support for victims of all forms of hate crime.
• With partners including the National Health Service (NHS), the MPS, the voluntary and community sector and local authorities, MOPAC provides specialist support and additional capacity for child victims of sexual abuse and exploitation, including the UK’s first Child House – The Lighthouse, the Children and Young Persons’ Havens and Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) Hubs across London.
• TfL and MOPAC will co-commission additional support to address the gap in support to victims of the most serious road traffic incidents.

MOPAC will continue to take an intersectional approach to identify and address the unique and complex needs of victims and recognising that appropriate support and meaningful justice may differ for different victims. 

Providing safe accommodation for victims and survivors of domestic abuse and their children

The Mayor has duties under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 to support victims/survivors of domestic abuse and their children in safe accommodation. This includes producing a strategy and commissioning services. The first London Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation (DASA) Strategy, published in 2021, was informed by an in-depth needs assessment and consultation with stakeholders and victims/survivors. The duties come with government funding, which is allocated to the GLA. More than 23,000 victims and survivors of domestic abuse and their children have been supported by commissioned services to date.

Under the duty, the Mayor must produce a new strategy and an updated needs assessment every three years. MOPAC has worked with the GLA to consult on and publish a DASA Strategy for 2025-2028 which will form the basis of our delivery of support in safe accommodation for victims/survivors of domestic abuse and their children for this period.

Support the work of London’s Independent Victims’ Commissioner

Since 2016, the Mayor has made sure that victims and bereaved families are at the heart of his agenda for policing and crime by appointing London’s first Independent Victims’ Commissioner, Claire Waxman OBE. Claire will continue her vital work this term, standing up for the rights of victims of crime and ensuring that their voices are heard in the work of MOPAC, the MPS, the criminal justice system and by central Government. Priority areas for London’s Victims’ Commissioner this term include:

• Continuing to highlight the crisis in the criminal justice system, advocating for transformational reform to the courts system to address the backlogs, create a more efficient and effective system, and improve the experiences of victims. This includes lobbying for greater resources, policies that work better for victims and instituting different models.
• Reforming the justice system to improve victims’ experiences by ensuring they are kept at the heart of decisions and policies, and working with justice agencies to ensure statutory partners undergo training on the Victims’ Code to improve compliance.
• Ensuring that the Victims and Prisoners Act is properly implemented in London, and as part of this that the Victims’ Code is revised, strengthened and compliance with it improved.
• Advocating for an independent Victim Care Hub model in London, working with justice agencies to increase and promote joint working in the interest of ensuring the experience of victims is a seamless, supportive service.
• Working with the Government and justice partners to meet the recommendations she made following the publication of MOPAC’s London Stalking Review 2024.
• Working with the MPS to improve victim attrition rates, following MOPAC’s deep dive into victim withdrawal.
• Lobbying for greater provisions for victims of crime and bereaved families in upcoming and future legislation.
• Working collaboratively with government agencies, justice partners and service providers to improve the pre-court experience for witnesses, ensuring they receive the necessary support, information and preparation to confidently give evidence.

Delivering for all Londoners

London is one of the most diverse cities in the world and as such, the delivery of the Police and Crime Plan is informed by a recognition of intersectionality and how race, gender, sexuality, religion, immigration status, class and disability can intersect and interact to create unique experiences in relation to crime. Applying an intersectional lens to the delivery of this Plan will ensure we consider and address the complex needs of Londoners and the unique barriers that many face to accessing support and justice.

Convening partners

Partnership is central to our approach to delivering the commitments in this Plan. MOPAC has a well-established partnerships governance structure. You can find out more about this structure and the meetings that comprise it here.

This structure feeds into the London Criminal Justice Board (LCJB), which brings together partners from across the justice system in London. The LCJB is chaired by the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, with secretariat support provided by MOPAC.

MOPAC's Partnership Team will introduce an annual survey of its local and regional partners as a means of increasing feedback to improve MOPACs performance and inform our oversight of the MPS. It will also use its convening power to take a system-wide approach to the challenges facing the criminal justice system in London, with a focus on issues including tackling the backlogs in the system and rising and acute challenges such as hate crime and domestic abuse.

MOPAC will continue to invest through the London Crime Prevention Fund (LCPF) to support local authorities in delivering specialist services to meet local needs, and to foster regional collaboration to tackle cross-borough challenges.

The Victims and Prisoners Act introduces a Duty to Collaborate which is a joint statutory duty for Police and Crime Commissioners, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and Tier 1 authorities - the GLA in London - to work together when commissioning support services for victims of domestic abuse, sexual abuse, and serious violence. This will improve support for victims by providing a more cohesive and victim-centred journey through a range of local services. MOPAC will work with ICBs, the GLA and London boroughs to carry out a needs assessment to inform the development of a joint Duty to Collaborate Strategy for London. MOPAC will then work with partners to implement that Strategy.

Our policy on children & young adults

In this Police and Crime Plan we use the term ‘children’ when talking about under 18s and while we recognise that some children aged 12-17 may prefer to be referred to as young people, it is important from a policing and safeguarding perspective that in the eyes of the law, under 18s are rightly deemed to be children and as such need to be afforded the relevant safeguards.

MOPAC, the VRU, the MPS and the GLA remain committed to a ‘Child First’ approach to our commissioning, policymaking and service delivery. Child First presents a useable summary of the evidence base for what works to improve outcomes for children. Child First is designed for both policy and practical decision making. This evidence-based approach to achieving positive outcomes for children, leading to preventing offending, fewer victims, and safer communities is reflected throughout this Plan. The Child First approach recognises that children are different to adults, with different needs and different vulnerabilities. There are four separate elements to this approach:

• See children as children;
• Develop pro-social identity for positive child outcomes;
• Collaboration with children; and
• Promote diversion.

Research tells us that by adopting a Child First approach, the following outcomes are achieved:

• Improved multi-agency responses to harm.
• Services matched to need/demand.
• Improved quality of services.
• Greater awareness of children’s rights and entitlements.
• Improved knowledge and awareness of safeguarding. 
• Increased use of trauma-informed approaches.
• Reduced adultification of children.
• Increased trust and confidence in policing and the wider criminal justice system.
• The most vulnerable children reporting better experiences of policing.
• Improved life chances for children.

Through this approach, MOPAC, the VRU and partners will protect children and young adults from harm, and work towards a criminal justice system in London that treats children who experience or commit crime in a way which acknowledges their distinct needs and vulnerabilities. In the first instance this should be a safeguarding response, followed - when appropriate – by a criminal justice response which has its foundations in safeguarding.​

MOPAC’s approach to Child First is underpinned by a comprehensive policy document ‘Child First: MOPAC Position Statement’, developed by a team of leading academics at the University of Salford. This explores the Child First evidence base as well as the challenges and ambitions of a Child First approach across MOPAC and the MPS.

MOPAC will continue to carry out its regular Youth Voice survey of thousands of London children on their views about policing and safety. MOPAC and the VRU will continue to use our networks to engage children and young adults in our work.

Performance monitoring, evaluation & reporting

MOPAC will use a mixture of quantitative and qualitative measures to present a picture of crime, safety and confidence in policing in London and to monitor delivery of the Police and Crime Plan for London. In line with the Mayor’s commitment to identifying and addressing disproportionality, we will continue to look at performance through the lens of people’s protected characteristics.

The MPS published a set of measures within the New Met for London Plan which were set out under the MPS missions of Higher Standards, Less Crime, More Trust. MOPAC and the MPS worked together to ensure these could be used as the basis for the framework used by the Mayor and London Policing Board. This provides transparency on how the MPS is demonstrating improvement and consistency in how the Mayor is holding them to account. The measures are designed to illustrate progress across key areas including:

• violent crime.
• neighbourhood crime and ASB.
• public trust and confidence in the MPS.
• satisfaction with MPS service delivery.
• complaints and conduct matters.
• internal MPS culture.

This framework will remain at the heart of the Mayor’s oversight of the MPS during this Police and Crime Plan period.

Other data used to inform our policymaking and oversight reflects that the remit of the Plan is wider than policing alone, and also includes the work of the criminal justice system and other partner organisations. For example, data on proven reoffending – an important focus of this Plan - is produced by the Ministry of Justice.

We have produced an outcomes framework which is published alongside this Plan. These are outcomes for the entirety of the London system, and not only for the police. Making progress on all of them will require partnership working across organisations and with the public, which is at the heart of this Plan. A new national policing performance framework is being developed by the Home Office in collaboration with police leaders. We will review the measures relating to policing in our Police and Crime Plan outcomes framework in six months’ time to ensure that any national measures are considered in our ongoing performance monitoring of the MPS.

MOPAC is keen to increase the data and performance measures available to us relating to the work of the wider criminal justice system. During this Police and Crime Plan period MOPAC will engage with justice partners towards achieving this goal. We will review our outcomes framework as and when any such additional measures become available.

MOPAC will continue to publish a wide range of data on its website via its suite of dashboards and publications on the London Datastore. MOPAC's Evidence and Insight Team will continue to conduct evaluations on services and pilots commissioned to understand their impact and effectiveness, the findings of which will contribute to our future policymaking. In line with its public health approach, the VRU will continue to commission an extensive programme of evaluation on its funded interventions to understand their impact and contribute to the wider evidence base on what works to reduce violence. MOPAC will share its evaluations and reports to promote learning and improvement in the MPS and across the criminal justice system.

MOPAC continues to innovate in the way it uses data to inform its oversight, policymaking and commissioning practices. Alongside our existing oversight work, MOPAC’s Data Science Team will trial an experimental new approach using big data modelling to produce annual forecasts of crime in London, against which we will compare and assess performance over the course of that year. As part of this trial, MOPAC will undertake ethical consideration about any inherent bias within the data patterns and any potential impact on forecasting. MOPAC will publish information on this work and its emerging findings to contribute to wider discussions on the role new data analysis tools can play in promoting a more sophisticated understanding of police performance.

Supporting the MPS to be more effective in tackling crime and ASB

The MPS faces unique and growing pressures on its resources. For example, while there has been a national increase in public order and public safety operations, the MPS is unique in the demand it faces because of its responsibility to police the nation’s capital – year-round, the MPS polices a wide range of major sporting, cultural and business events; protests; and official functions. In London, there is also the unique challenge of managing high demand created by volume crimes like robbery and theft.

To meet these demands, the Commissioner has set out his ambition that the MPS needs to grow to 38,000 officers and 19,000 staff by 2029, as well as investing significantly in technology and data, and in buildings close to communities.

The MPS receives its funding from two main sources. In 2016, 81% of funding came from national government with 19% from MOPAC. Now, around three quarters of its funding comes from national government and a quarter from MOPAC. The Mayor continues to back the MPS with record funding, providing £1.159 billion in 2025-26 alone. This is more than double the Mayoral contribution in 2016.

However, the MPS and policing nationally continues to feel the impact of more than a decade of central underfunding. Over the years, tough decisions have been taken to protect front line policing in the face of this underfunding. Further tough decisions have been necessary at the beginning of this Plan period as a result of this underfunding, with the organisation reducing in size in 2025/26. The Commissioner has been clear about the challenge this poses – but that the MPS remains ambitious in pursuit of rebuilding trust, driving down crime and delivering the high standards the public expect. MOPAC publishes details of its annual budget and contribution to the climate budget (setting out how the GLA Group’s spending is linked to the Mayor’s commitment to make London net zero by 2030) each year on its website.

While we have welcomed additional Government funding announcements in 2024 and 2025 for neighbourhood policing and national and international capital city policing, it will take more than one funding settlement to undo more than a decade of shortfalls. For this reason, the Government’s Multi-year Spending Review in 2025 is a key focus for the MPS and MOPAC. Joint representations will be made setting out our ambition for policing in London and the need to grow resources and invest more in technology and the MPS estate.

The Mayor welcomes the Government’s ambition to standardise approaches to procurement, IT, professional standards and training; and to look at the organisation of the service to enable investment in specialist capabilities and more effectively tackle cross-border issues. MOPAC and the MPS will work with the Government to ensure London plays its part in the new Police Efficiency and Collaboration programme for England and Wales.

The Mayor will continue, where possible, to make funding available to the MPS for equipment to help officers to do their difficult jobs and keep themselves and Londoners safe. This includes investment in better uniform, more Tasers, knife wands and knife arches. The Mayor and MOPAC will also continue to support and oversee improvements in organisational leadership, management and effective governance of the MPS, as well as training for officers and staff.

The MPS is innovating its use of data and technology such as facial recognition and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance productivity, tackle crime and identify wanted persons. The MPS has developed an AI framework to make sure that this work meets data protection, cyber, ethical and public sector equality duty obligations. MOPAC will oversee this work to ensure that the balance between effective crime prevention and the rights of Londoners is met.

Financial oversight

Within the context of increasing pressure on the MPS budget, MOPAC has increased its Financial Oversight resource to monitor the MPS’s financial resilience. The Mayor’s budget includes enhanced control requirements to facilitate timely identification of financial risk. Compliance with these additional measures will be assessed monthly and a judgement made regarding the risk of overspending, and/or creating unmanageable fiscal liabilities for future years.

MOPAC Financial Oversight will continue to liaise closely with Grant Thornton, the Directorate of Audit, Risk and Assurance (DARA), the GLA, and appropriate members of the London Policing Board to ensure that the MPS dedicates its limited resources to areas of highest operational and reform priority; and mitigates financial risk for the medium-term.   

The Mayor will continue to work with London’s anchor institutions– the big public sector employers, including the MPS – to invest billions in small and medium-sized businesses.

MOPAC will continue to publish financial and governance information on its website, demonstrating on an ongoing basis how its resourcing decisions and financial oversight are informed by the Police and Crime Plan priorities.

Commissioning services

​MOPAC uses the word “commissioning” to mean any activity that involves using the resources that we have to promote outcomes across London. Some of these resources might be funding, which can involve activity such as the procurement of services, but often commissioning also involves using our time and expertise to work with partners and service users in a more joined up, whole systems approach to achieving the outcomes from the Police and Crime Plan. This includes working with local partners and across boroughs to respond to local need, as well as driving innovation across the whole of London. MOPAC’s commissioning principles for this Police and Crime Plan period are:

• Londoners are the driving force of our work. Through listening to Londoners, London’s victims of crime and London’s service users we can understand how to make a positive impact with real meaning, from policy development through to commissioning, service delivery and service evaluation.​
• We are relentless in our pursuit of equality, inclusion and diversity.  ​
• We recognise all assets and strengths of London’s diverse communities, leading through empowering others and enabling outcomes.​
• We foster collaboration and co-production with partners, providers and service users.
• We use a broad range of evidence to inform commissioning and contributing our own insight evidence through reflection and evaluation.

The London Crime Prevention Fund (LCPF)

Through the LCPF the Mayor will continue to grant fund all London boroughs to commission services and interventions as experts in understanding local need and demand. The projects funded will align to the Police and Crime Plan and support MOPAC to deliver against our identified outcomes. The fund will run from April 2025 to March 2029 with ongoing impact monitoring.  

Fulfilling National Policing Responsibilities

MOPAC and the MPS will continue to fulfil their national responsibilities, in line with the Home Secretary’s Strategic Policing Requirement (SPR)Reference:17. The Mayor will continue to hold the Commissioner to account for having, or having access to, the capabilities identified in the SPR as critical to the planning of an effective and proportionate response to national threats

The MPS will continue to work with the National Crime Agency (NCA) and other UK and international partners to address Serious and Organised Crime (SOC), implementing a 4P (Prevent, Protect, Prepare and Pursue) structure.

The MPS will continue to coordinate the national policing counter terrorism effort and host a number of national and international capabilities, including an overseas network of police officers which operates to understand the international links of terrorism and protect UK interests overseas.

Online crime crosses regional and international boundaries, which means a co-ordinated response with partners around the country and around the world is essential. The Mayor will continue to advocate for and support greater national co-ordination and international co-operation to address criminality and offending online, as well as lobbying for necessary changes in legislation and policy to support the police response to online harms.

Emergency preparedness

London has well developed emergency arrangements in place, with partners including the emergency services, councils, TfL, the GLA, the Government and other agencies working year-round to keep our city safe and prepared. This work will continue throughout this Police and Crime Plan period, as set out in the London Resilience Forum’s Strategy.