Tories to slash 455 police officers and cut £16million from police force budget

I don't ever recall during the 2008 London Mayoral election campaign Boris Johnson pledging police cuts, in fact if anything, completely the opposite and yet this week as the Met police budgets were set, Boris is slashing police numbers.

Cameron's Conservative London Mayor, Boris John will slash 455 police officers across London and cut a massive £16million from the Metropolitan Police budget.

Boris Johnson has also refused to guarantee the future size of the successful Safer Neighbourhood Policing Teams, which are dedicated to each neighbourhood in London Boroughs.

Cameron's Conservative Mayor, Boris Johnson said: "I have no intention of imposing a one-size-fits-all model across the whole of London."

Now, I have some sympathy with this, however the size of the Safer Neighbourhood Teams currently are is the absolute minimum they must be, his only option to stop the one size fits all is to increase the size of the teams in problem areas.

In fact I have heard that before, because, yes that's right, that is exactly what the Liberal Democrats London Mayoral candidate, Brian Paddick was pledging during the Mayoral election.

London's policing does not need cuts, it needs investment.

The last word goes to London Liberal Democrat Assembly policing spokesman Dee Doocey who said:

"The mayor's decision to cut £16m from the police budget, to cut 455 police officers, and to reduce all borough police budgets, is a slap in the face to Londoners."