Could London lose thousands of Met officers in 2025-26?
The Metropolitan Police Service’s (MPS) current staffing assessment shows a need to grow the workforce by over 4,000 officers,1 but how will this be achieved with a forecast budget gap of £450m for 2025-26?2
The Met’s 2025-26 Budget Submission states that: “The MPS’ current assessment of its resource need based on the population it covers, and compared to other police forces of capital cities, is to grow to a workforce of 38,000 officers and 19,000 staff, based on a desired 2:1 ratio.”3 As of September 2024, these numbers stood at 33,509 and 11,160 respectively.4
The MPS Commissioner has warned of that the budget “could represent a reduction of 2,300 officers policing London, along with 400 staff, having a seriously detrimental impact.”5
The latest Commissioner’s Report to the London Policing Board states:
“Based on an assessment of the Budget pressures agreed with the Mayor, the MPS has a budget gap of £450 million between our requirement and the budget for 2025-26.”6
The London Assembly Budget and Performance Committee will meet tomorrow to question the Met, the Deputy Mayor and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) on the key challenges for officer recruitment.
The Committee will also discuss the funding for the New Met for London Plan, as well as managing reserves and savings.
Guests include:
- Kaya Comer-Schwartz, Deputy Mayor, Policing and Crime
- Lib Peck, Director of the Violence Reduction Unit
- Darren Mepham, Interim Chief Executive Officer, MOPAC
- Amana Humayun, Chief Finance Officer and Director of Corporate Services, MOPAC
- Dan Worsley, Chief Finance Officer, MPS
- Adrian Scott, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, MPS
The meeting will take place on Tuesday 7 January from 10am, in the Chamber at City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, E16 1ZE.
Media and members of the public are invited to attend.
The meeting can also be viewed LIVE or later via webcast or YouTube.
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Notes to editors
- P4, MOPAC Quarterly Performance Report Q2 2024-25
- P3, Commissioners Report, 10 December 2024
- P6, MOPAC budget submission 2025-26, 22 November 2024
- P4, MOPAC Quarterly Performance Report Q2 2024-25
- P4, Commissioners Report, 10 December 2024
- P3, Commissioners Report, 10 December 2024
- Read the agenda papers.
- Neil Garratt AM, Chairman of the Budget and Performance Committee, is available for interview.
- Sir Mark Rowley QPM, the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, was invited but declined the invitation.
- Find out more about the work of the Budget and Performance Committee.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For more information, please contact Josh Hunt in the Assembly Media Office on 07763 252310 or [email protected]. For out of hours media enquiries please call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the Assembly duty press officer.