Borough’s concerns over shortage of police officers

48/00
14 December 2000

The Metropolitan Police Authority announced today that it will await the outcome of a joint MPA and Metropolitan Police review before deciding on how best to tackle the shortages of police officers in London boroughs.

The Authority’s decision came after it received a 37,000-signature petition from the Bexley Police/Community Consultative Group, which is calling for a significant increase in the number of police officers available to police their area.

Chair of the Bexley PCCG, Mrs Val Clark, told members of the MPA at their meeting in London that Bexley had fewer officers per head of population than any other London borough.

While she understood the Met was under-resourced, she felt local concerns should be taken into consideration when allocating police officers to particular boroughs.

MPA Chair, Toby Harris said:

‘The MPA sympathises with Bexley residents who feel vulnerable because they believe that there are not enough police officers to cover the 27 square miles of the Borough.

‘Since the Bexley petition was collected, the number of officers in Bexley has risen, but clearly not enough to address local concerns. The Met is below strength and we need an additional 3,000 officers to police London effectively.’

‘Allocating police resources is a complex problem, which at present is determined using the Resource Allocation Formula. This looks at a variety of criteria and local factors. It is this formula which is currently under review to see if it meets the present-day needs and expectations of local communities. We hope to reach a conclusion soon and will keep the residents of Bexley informed of developments.’

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