Government cuts ‘will force Met to shrink’

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson today said that Scotland Yard would be forced to shrink in size if the Government persists with its demand for cutbacks.

He told a radio show he would not be able to meet ministers' demands for cuts without losing staff.

It is believed that Sir Paul could be forced to find savings of up to 25 per cent of his budget.
But he told LBC that cutting buildings and vehicle costs would not be enough to meet such demands.

"If they are of that order, then the Met will shrink," he said. "But it is my job to ensure I maintain operational capability and I am determined to do that."

Sir Paul said he was pleased more officers were out on patrol as a result of single-officer patrols, with 25,000 extra patrol hours being worked every week.

Serious violence was down by about 20 per cent this year, he said, but added that he was "very worried about youth crime", which is up by three per cent.