Ken calls on Boris to rethink police cuts

This morning Ken Livingstone has written to Boris Johnson, calling on him to “take responsibility” for police cuts that he implemented. You can read the letter below:

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Dear Boris,

Londoners want more police on the streets, not cuts.

It is time for you to take to take responsibility for making our streets safer and reversing the deep cuts to policing in London. The Mayor of London is responsible for the police in London.

You set the Metropolitan Police’s budget. It is within your power to make decisions to cut the police or invest in the police. Since you were elected you have make decisions to cut:

Even before the Conservative-led government was formed you announced plans to cut 455 police officers in February 2010.

You have implemented cuts to the number of safer neighbourhood team sergeants by a half from 600 to 300.

This year you agreed the Metropolitan Police Authority’s business plan which says the number of police will fall by 1800.

These cuts are unnecessary and wrong. I urge you take to take responsibility and use the powers of the Mayor’s office to:

1. Reverse your decision to cut 1800 police officers in London over the next three years.

2. Drop your plan to cut 300 sergeants from London’s 630 safer neighbourhood teams. We need more experienced officers on the streets not fewer.

3. Abandon your plans to force 600 London police sergeants to reapply for their own jobs. They should be focusing on making the streets safe for Londoners, not worrying about their own jobs.

I have not met a single Londoner who thinks it is a good idea to cut the number of local beat team sergeants by half or cut the number of police officers by over 50 for every London borough.

It is within your power to reverse the decisions you have made to cut the number of police officers. I urge you to think again.

Yours sincerely, Ken

Ken Livingstone