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As the Met Police seeks to plug a massive gap in its budget, it has now confirmed that the Royal Parks police unit will be disbanded and the officers redistributed to boost neighbourhood policing teams.
Met chief Sir Mark Rowley told London politicians earlier this year that without an increase in the capital’s police budget, services including the Royal Parks police unit would have to go as part of a £260m cost cutting exercise that will see a total reduction of over 1,700 police officers across London.
The change to policing the Royal Parks won’t be felt straight away but the transition will be completed by 1 November.
The Met said that it had been working closely with the Royal Parks and stakeholders and offered assurance that the Met would continue to respond to emergency calls and support events in Royal Parks across London once the transition takes place.
A spokesperson for the Met said: “The Met is prioritising neighbourhood policing and see this as a positive opportunity to integrate the Royal Parks into local community crime fighting plans and ensure a wider pool of officers understand the unique requirements of parks policing.”
The Royal Parks is a charity and looks after eight parks covering 5,000 acres of land across the capital. It expressed disappointment in the Met’s decision to close the Royal Parks police unit.
“The Royal Parks MPS unit and its predecessors have been a massive part of the rich history of the parks in London for over 150 years. We are deeply grateful to those police colleagues who have been so committed in their work to protect our amazing green spaces and ensure the safety, security and welfare of the millions of visitors to the parks.
Royal Parks spokesperson.
Noting the continued need for the Royal Parks Regulations to be enforced by the Met, the Royal Parks said that it is working closely with officers to: “ensure a plan is put in place to maintain public safety once the unit is fully disbanded.”
Read more about the Met’s financial challenges – Commissioner predicts £450m budget shortfall for the Met prior to the police funding settlement announcements that bridged the gap but still it with over £200m to find for the current financial year.
