The UK’s largest police force, the Metropolitan Police Service, which covers the capital city’s 32 boroughs but not the City of London, is facing a budget shortfall of £260 million. A shortage of funds, around 80% of which come from the Home Office, and the desire for a balanced budget, have led to a number of actions which are likely to have an overall detrimental effect on policing in London. Most recently, it was formally announced on 6 August 2025, at an extraordinary meeting of the London Assembly, that the number of police station front-counters in the city would fall from 37 to 20, while opening hours would be reduced at some others. Only eight front-counters will be open 24 hours a day. The rationale for these cuts, according to the Met, is that just 5% of crimes were reported at front-counters in 2024, although it may well be that a difficulty in locating police stations that are still open may have contributed to this reticence. The reduction in numbers of front-counters runs contrary to an earlier promise by Sir Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, that each of London’s 32 boroughs would have access to at least one police station round the clock, 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
The Mayor’s top 10 manifesto pledges in April 2024 for re-election included the desire to “put an extra 1,300 neighbourhood police officers and police community support officers (PCSOs) on the streets.” The £260 million hole in the Met’s budget, on the other hand, will see off 1,700 officers, PCSOs, and other staff, alongside cuts to other services. The Royal Parks Police will cease to exist as a separate entity, dedicated officers will no longer be provided to schools, while the mounted police, dog teams, historic crime teams, and forensics teams will face cuts. Whether these cuts will instead deliver more neighbourhood policing, or officers on the beat, remains to be seen, especially since recruitment and retention are problematic.
Under the cost-cutting reorganisations, police efforts will prioritise neighbourhood policing, child protection, and violence against women and girls (VWAG). Safer Neighbourhood Teams will provide “high-visibility policing” in the crime hotspots of the West End, Brixton, Ealing, Finsbury Park, Kingston, Southwark, and Spitalfields. These teams will be expected to tackle antisocial behaviour, crime (gun and knife crime, shoplifting, phone theft), and VAWG.
Despite reductions in numbers, more police officers will have to be diverted to the Public Order Crime team, given the rising size and frequency of protests related to environmental issues and the Israel/Gaza conflict. It would be hoped, however, that the costs of policing football matches, sporting tournaments, music festivals, and certain other money-generating events would be at least partly borne by the teams involved or by the organisers, respectively. At the same time, technology will play a bigger part in fighting crime. Live Facial Recognition, despite its limitations, will enable real-time identification of wanted violent offenders in public spaces. Data-driven policing will benefit from “shared data platforms, PowerApps, and intelligent situational awareness technology.”
In the internet era, “the easiest way to contact us is online”, including on social media (X; Facebook) while 999 calls are reserved for situations involving an immediate danger to life, violence or the threat of violence, road traffic collisions where life is at risk or the road is blocked, or a crime in progress, such as a house burglary or a theft. There’s also the option of anonymous reporting via CrimeStoppers (online or by phone), or a visit to the nearest police station. The latter option will be mostly removed by the recent spate of front- counter closures.
While London is “relatively safe compared to other big cities” in England and Wales in terms of rape and violence against the person, it had the highest rates of theft and robbery for the year ending March 2025. A press release, dated 31 July 2025, claims that neighbourhood crime, knife crime, residential burglary, theft from the person, and personal robbery are all down compared to the same period last year-findings that some members of the public might find difficult to digest. It seems likely that under-reporting of crime may contribute to these favourable figures, since reporting often does not lead to any form of tangible police action.
Public sector organisations have to adapt with the changing times, reorganise appropriately, and reform their working practices to deliver best value for the taxpayer. The Metropolitan Police has a problem, however, as it is forced to do so under severe budget constraints. Under-resourcing of the police force in the metropolis comes at a time when the public’s perception of under-policing is shared widely, and numbers of police officers on the streets are dwindling in what is being seen as a charter for street criminals, in particular.
While the Met’s mission to deliver “More Trust, Less Crime and High Standards through our policing of London” is most laudable, delivery of its ambitions is likely to prove a challenge. Diverting resources to the frontline is essential, but in many areas within London the police still seem to operate in the shadows. However, the Met’s message, parts of which some would consider somewhat wordy as well as “woke”, is reasonably clear. Subsequent events will define how the public respond to forthcoming changes to policing in London.
Ashis Banerjee