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Assembly condemns cut of 100 Sergeants

The London Assembly have called on Mayor Boris Johnson to reverse his decision to remove 100 Sergeants from the Metropolitan Police’s Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs)

The reduction in local police team sergeants has been proposed as part of the Mayor’s budget for the Metropolitan Police Authority for 2011/12. A further cut of 200 sergeants from Safer Neighbourhood Teams is planned for 2012/13[1].

Following consideration of the Mayor’s final budget today, Assembly Members passed a motion condemning the cuts in advance of the completion of a review of Safer Neighbourhood Teams currently being carried out by the Metropolitan Police Service.

Mike Tuffrey AM, who proposed the amended motion, said:

“Safer Neighbourhood Teams are the success story of policing in London and it is bizarre that the Mayor has chosen to remove them before the Met has completed its review into how they can best be deployed. Sergeants are not simply ‘middle management’ as the Mayor would have it, they play a vital part of local frontline policing.”

Joanne McCartney AM, who seconded the motion, said:

“Sergeants are local leaders not only within their policing teams but also in their communities, building links with local organisations and fostering confidence in the policing of their area. Planning to cut up to 300 sergeants over the next two years will remove a lynchpin of local policing in London.”

The full text of the amended motion reads as follows:

"This Assembly notes the success of Neighbourhood Policing and regrets the Mayor’s proposal to remove 100 Sergeants from the Safer Neighbourhood Teams over the coming year. We do not believe a case for these reductions has been made given that the review of the SNTs is still underway, We ask the Mayor to reverse this decision.”

Source:© London Mayor