Mayor's pledge of 1000 extra police is misleading - Tope

12.27.00pm GMT Wed 13th Feb 2008

The Mayor admitted today before the London Assembly that his pledge of 1000 extra police was not as a result of his budget.

Commenting on the Mayor's misleading budget pledge, Policing Spokesman for the London Assembly Liberal Democrats, Graham Tope said:

"The Mayor promised London 1000 extra police but they certainly won't be as a result of his budget. The Government and London boroughs will be providing the majority of extra police.

"The Mayor would actually be responsible for a fall in the number of police in London by 525, if it were not for Government and London borough funding. The Mayor is taking credit for the hard work of others.

"If the Mayor's headline pledge for the budget is a lie, imagine what rot lies beneath this empty promise. This is blatant spin on the Mayor's part."

ENDS

Notes to the Editors

1. 1000 New Posts - Who is funding them?

According to an MQT answer given to Graham Tope last month, of the 1000 new officers promised in the Mayors budget 867 will be financed from central government (subject to outcome of bids for funding) as follows:

· Counter-terrorism 300

· Designated Security Post 300

· Olympics 267

In addition to this, the Mayor's budget includes a 2 year deal with boroughs to provide 320 new Police Officers which will be paid jointly by the boroughs and the MPS, the MPS only contributing £3.9m a year.

Other New Initiatives will add 336 officers. Including only 20 new officers concentrating on guns and gangs work.

In total these amount to 1,523 police officers- more than the Mayor's net increase of 1000.

The difference being due to reductions in other officers that Ken Hunt described as below:

Reductions

• overhead (e.g. reduction in management structures) (202)

• non overhead (e.g. improvement to criminal justice system) (323)

Sub Total Reduction (525)

A net increase of 998.

So overall it's the government and boroughs that are paying for the lions share of the 1000 new police officers and the number of police officers that aren't subject to specific external funding have fallen.

Posts…

From government: 867

From MPS central funding (net): -189

From boroughs and MPS: 320