Sir Paul Stephenson said he is concerned about the Met’s budget restrictions The Metropolitan Police force is facing the most “challenging” time in its history, according to its commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson.
Sir Paul told the BBC’s Today programme that the Met is being stretched by a combination of budget cuts, violent protests and security threats.
Police funding is being cut over the next four years.
The Metropolitan Police is biggest force in the UK, with 53,000 officers and staff and a £3.6bn budget.
The commissioner said the budget cuts will leave the Met with a “significant budget gap” and the force will shrink.
He also said the stretch on resources and the challenges the Met is facing are “not as we’ve known it for a long, long time”.
At the same time, Scotland Yard is planning a huge security operation for the Olympics, countering the day-to-day terrorist threat, maintaining neighbourhood policing – and dealing with what Sir Paul says is “unrestrained violence” at student protests.
“When you put all the various challenges that face me and my colleagues in the Metropolitan Police service together, this is as challenging a period as we’ve ever faced,” he said.
Sir Paul acknowledges the Met can make economies – but the “real” issue, he said, is how far the force can “stretch” the savings.
“These are not idle words. We can make significant economy savings, and we’re doing that. We’ve got a responsibility to do it.
“But how far we can stretch those savings is a real issue. So I am concerned about our current budgetary situation, but I’m determined to maintain the operational capability that Londoners want.”
Sir Paul said that about 18 months ago, the Met began to adopt a single patrol policy for police officers in many areas of London, resulting in 400 extra patrols in the capital every day.
“We are looking at those smart moves that can increase the benefits of our operational capabilities, our people, spreading them more effectively.
“And we’re looking for all of those operational decisions that make better use of what we’ve got. I’m determined to do that.”
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