Cuts leave us with no choice

London Mayor Sadiq Kahn’s response to last week’s Bmail column

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “My top priority is keeping Londoners safe, and I have been clear that the huge Government cuts to the Metropolitan Police Service have left us with no choice but to take drastic action to protect the frontline of policing.

“I do not want to close any front counters or police stations and I understand the concern in our local communities. There is the widest possible consultation with public meetings held in every borough to get residents’ views on these draft proposals.

“Under the proposals which we are forced to do due to Government cuts, a 24/7 front counter service will be maintained in every borough and the telephone and online services that Londoners value so highly will be improved. Police officers will spend more time on the beat in their communities to tackle the issues that matter most to Londoners, such as knife crime, anti-social behaviour, hate crime and extremism, and domestic abuse.

“We are doing everything we can to maintain the best possible service for Londoners, but the Met budget is at a cliff-edge and I continue to call on the Government to take urgent action and properly fund our police service so they can do their job and keep Londoners safe.”