The boss of the Metropolitan Police has warned of “eye-watering” cuts to the force’s spending next year as it “desperately” tries to keep a significant number of police officers.
Sir Mark Rowley, who heads the country’s largest police force, said he is “deeply troubled by the situation” the force “appears to be heading towards”.
As the Met tries to balance the books, Sir Mark said back-ups such as selling police stations and using reserves “have run out”.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Political Thinking With Nick Robinson, the Met Commissioner said: “Some of the things that successive commissioners and mayors have used to balance the books – like selling police stations and using reserves – all of those things have run out.
“So those propped up the budget. Those props have gone.”
Asked if it was a case of “buildings versus bobbies”, Sir Mark said “no”.
He said the finances for maintaining police buildings are “completely crazy”.
“Some of the challenges the Met faces come from desperately trying to keep a significant number of police officers but cutting everything else,” Sir Mark said.
“So actually our buildings are, we’ve sold a lot of them but the ones we have left, half of them are in a parlous state; in a few years many of them will be unusable if we don’t spend more money on them.
“We have half the money per square metre for maintaining our property than Whitehall has for Government buildings per annum. What that means is we can refurbish each police building once every 130 years.
“That’s completely crazy.”
The Metropolitan Police will receive up to £3.5 billion in funding in 2024/25, the Home Office said, which is a 3.5% increase on 2023/24.
In the Budget, the Chancellor set out plans to increase the core government grant for police forces in 2025/26.
Sir Mark said the force is still in talks with the Home Office and the City Hall over the annual funding allocation for the next financial year.
“This is not just about this year’s decisions, but it’s a cumulative effect of decisions over the last decade or so which have put us in a more and more precarious position,” he said.
The Commissioner compared spending on policing with that in New York and Sydney and said they are spending about 50% more per capita than in London.
Sir Mark added: “The Chancellor has been very clear – it’s a difficult public sector context. You add all those things together. And you get a dramatic change in budgets and of a scale that’s never going to be absorbed by efficiencies. And it’s going to require some pretty eye-watering cuts to the services we provide to London.
“I am deeply troubled by the situation we appear to be heading towards.
“Those numbers are presenting some very, very difficult choices.”
He said the Met’s spending planning will “get rolling” and he expected it to be set out “properly before Christmas”.
In a plea to ministers, he said: “I will do everything I can do, but I think it’s reasonable for me to say you’re setting really high expectations on me and my 45,000 fantastic people.
“I’m going to ask you (ministers) to help. Where it’s within your gift, not mine.”
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “Nothing is more important to the mayor than keeping Londoners safe and he is determined to do everything he can to support the commissioner deliver a new Met for London where local neighbourhood policing is prioritised and communities are put first.
“The mayor has invested a record £151 million extra in this year’s (2024/25) budget for policing and crime prevention and tackling the complex causes of crime.
“This approach is working, with gun crime, knife crime with injury for those aged under 25, burglary, and homicides all down since 2016.
“The previous government chronically underfunded the Met and made cuts to policing in London that were equivalent to more than £1 billion since 2010.
“The mayor is working closely with the commissioner and the new Government to ensure the Met gets the longer-term funding needed to help make our city safer for everyone.”
