£132m shortfall may force Met to cut police numbers

SCOTLAND Yard may be forced to cut police numbers amid fears of a £132million shortfall in its budget, according to an authoritative report.

A study by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary says the Met is facing swingeing cuts unless it brings in urgent savings. One possible outcome is that bosses will have to cut numbers and replace officers with civilians.

The study is critical of the Met for spending more pro rata in some key areas than other forces.

The complex scrutiny highlights how the Met's £3.5billion budget will be squeezed by tighter controls on public spending over the next three years. Estimates for the financial year 2011/12 show an estimated shortfall of £132million, a sum which could increase significantly if savings are not made in the next few years. The report warns that if spending gets out of control the Met would have to consider capping growth and "changing the mix of police and other staff (reducing police numbers)".

But the study also praises the force for identifying savings in some areas, such as:

l Slashing the costs of Trooping the Colour to save £300,000.

l Arranging external funding for 665 police posts, mainly police community support officers paid for by councils and Transport for London.

l Reducing the number of police commanders for football matches.

The timing of the report is unfortunate for Scotland Yard, coming in the midst of the search for a new Commissioner. A new chief will face difficult decisions about cutting staff while maintaining the fight against terrorism and crime.

The HMIC inspectors were called in last year to examine the force's spending and efficiency by Deputy Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson. The study reports that Sir Paul recognised the possible need for "significant service re-engineering" if the force was to meet targets.

However, the study also concludes that a board set up to look for savings has "yet to assist in developing strategy".

The HMIC singles out the Met for criticism for spending much more pro rata on costs for control room staff, IT, and transport.

A Met spokeswoman said the force was confident it would be able to meet savings and avoid cutting officer numbers.