WATCH: Met Police blasted for 'trying to stop fun'
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Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan said funding problems were the consequences of 14 years of cuts
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The Metropolitan Police will cut 1,700 officers, staff and community support officers as it faces a £260million hole in its budget for the coming year.
Despite receiving additional funding from both central government and the Mayor of London, the force says it has been forced into making "substantial tough choices".
The cuts come as London faces what senior officers describe as "an epidemic of violent crime, mobile phone snatches and shoplifting".
The Met had previously warned it might need to cut 2,300 officers and 400 staff from its 46,000-strong workforce.
The Met Police is set to make the cuts
PA
The force plans to make the savings by recruiting fewer people and not replacing those who leave. The cuts will see the Royal Parks police team disbanded and merged into local ward policing, despite opposition from councils and victims.
Officers placed in schools will also be removed. Other reductions include a 10 per cent cut to forensics, an 11 per cent cut to historic crime teams, and a 25 per cent cut to mounted police.
The Dogs Unit will face a seven per cent reduction, while front counter opening hours will be restricted. One fifth of the anti-robbery Flying Squad faces cuts and could lose its firearms capability.
The MO7 Taskforce, which tackles moped and e-bike robbers, will be reduced by 55 per cent.
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LONDON POLICING BOARDMayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan blamed the funding crisis on the previous government.
He said the Met was "chronically underfunded" and cuts to policing in London were the real-term equivalent to more than £1.1bn.
Khan announced a record £1.16bn City Hall investment in the force, claiming this will save 935 neighbourhood policing roles.
He vowed no cuts will be made to emergency response teams "which the public rely on at times of crisis".
The mayor promised to continue working with the new government and the Met ahead of the forthcoming spending review to secure sustainable funding.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticised the cuts, saying: "After we delivered record police officers, it is shameful that Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are now putting the safety of our communities at risk to feed their ideological addiction to higher taxes."
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp criticised the cuts
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The MP for Croydon South added: "Criminals will be licking their lips at the impact this tax will have on frontline policing."
Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne also condemned what she called "Labour's Jobs Tax".
"I can see first-hand the impact of Labour's Jobs Tax on my budget, and it isn't good," she said.
"It begs the question is this Labour government on the side of British people, or are they on the side of criminals?"
Scotland Yard will be making the cuts
PAA Met Police spokesperson said they were "very grateful" for the additional funding from MOPAC and the Home Office.
"While this new funding decreases our original funding gap from £450m, it leaves us with a £260m shortfall and we will have to make substantial tough choices," they said.
The spokesperson added that the situation "places an extraordinary stretch on our dedicated men and women."
"The Commissioner is incredibly grateful and humbled by what they achieve with increased demand and a rapidly shrinking Met."
The force will work with authorities through the upcoming Spending Review to establish "a financial footing which enables a sustainable workforce plan."