Britain’s biggest police force set to lose 2,000 officers due to budget cuts

BRITAIN’S biggest constabulary unit is acceptable to suffer 2,000 officers arsenic a effect of swingeing fund cuts.

And 400 civilian unit jobs could spell arsenic the Met slashes £450million from yearly finances.

Some London police stations volition trim opening hours to the nationalist from 9am to 5pm.

The 12.8 per cent simplification from this year’s £3.5billion fund is worse than “eye-watering” cuts feared by Met brag Sir Mark Rowley.

Figures for the caller fund are owed to beryllium announced astatine 11pm contiguous by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, alongside immoderate of the pugnacious measures that indispensable beryllium taken.

Matt Cane, of the Police Federation, warned: “As we person said clip and again, cuts person consequences. These volition intelligibly person a important interaction connected the Met’s quality to constabulary London.”

And retired Met Chief Supt Simon Ovens warned the cuts could mean the last straw for officers considering different careers.

The Met is already projected to beryllium down to 32,750 officers by March from its operating spot of 35,415.

The nonaccomplishment of an further 2,000 cops during the incoming fiscal twelvemonth from April would enactment the unit backmost to 2013 levels.

Sir Mark said past week helium was “deeply troubled” by talks implicit the yearly settlement.

He said the capital’s spending connected policing per caput of colonisation was already little than cities specified arsenic New York and Sydney.

This week Home Secretary Yvette Cooper promised a crackdown connected shoplifting, telephone theft and anti-social behaviour.

She pledged £500million for much cops, though did not specify if the fig included ostentation rises.

The Met said: “We support a productive dialog with the Mayor and Home Office. No last decisions person been made.”