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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/nov/07/met-chief-cressida-dick-warns-police-cuts-harder-tackle-violent-crime-extremism
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| Met chief warns police cuts will make it harder to tackle violent crime | Met chief warns police cuts will make it harder to tackle violent crime |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| Losing up to 3,000 police officers in London would make it harder to “bear down” on the rise in violent crime and to prevent extremism, the Metropolitan police commissioner has told MPs. | Losing up to 3,000 police officers in London would make it harder to “bear down” on the rise in violent crime and to prevent extremism, the Metropolitan police commissioner has told MPs. |
| Appearing in front of the Commons home affairs committee, Cressida Dick said the police were “beginning to turn the tide” on the rise in violent crime in the capital and cited a 25% reduction in “moped-enabled crime” in the last few months. | Appearing in front of the Commons home affairs committee, Cressida Dick said the police were “beginning to turn the tide” on the rise in violent crime in the capital and cited a 25% reduction in “moped-enabled crime” in the last few months. |
| But she warned MPs in advance of the budget later this month that the need to find £400m savings in the Met over the next four years would mean a 10% reduction from 30,000 to about 27,000 officers and make it very difficult to continue to tackle knife, moped-enabled and gun crime. | But she warned MPs in advance of the budget later this month that the need to find £400m savings in the Met over the next four years would mean a 10% reduction from 30,000 to about 27,000 officers and make it very difficult to continue to tackle knife, moped-enabled and gun crime. |
| Dick said there had been 114 homicides in London so far this year. She said she found it “really shocking” that 21 out of the 25 teenage homicide victims were from African-Caribbean backgrounds and the remaining four from Asian backgrounds. | Dick said there had been 114 homicides in London so far this year. She said she found it “really shocking” that 21 out of the 25 teenage homicide victims were from African-Caribbean backgrounds and the remaining four from Asian backgrounds. |
| “This is very shocking and makes me angry. It happens in lots of circumstances. A bit more than half are gang-related. Some are just disputes. Some are just ridiculous where somebody has just lashed out,” said the commissioner. She added that if she had the funding she would put more effort into intelligence work and presence on the streets in some particular areas. | “This is very shocking and makes me angry. It happens in lots of circumstances. A bit more than half are gang-related. Some are just disputes. Some are just ridiculous where somebody has just lashed out,” said the commissioner. She added that if she had the funding she would put more effort into intelligence work and presence on the streets in some particular areas. |
| Dick told MPs it was still early days but she saw signs that the rise in violent crime was beginning to slow in London. Gun discharges had fallen sharply in recent months and moped-enabled crime, which had risen exponentially in the past 18 months, was down 25% in the last few months. | Dick told MPs it was still early days but she saw signs that the rise in violent crime was beginning to slow in London. Gun discharges had fallen sharply in recent months and moped-enabled crime, which had risen exponentially in the past 18 months, was down 25% in the last few months. |
| “We have stemmed the tide of that increase primarily through enforcement measures,” she said. “I certainly hope so. I want to continue to bear down on violent crime in all its forms: sex offences, domestic violence, street crime and terrorism. | “We have stemmed the tide of that increase primarily through enforcement measures,” she said. “I certainly hope so. I want to continue to bear down on violent crime in all its forms: sex offences, domestic violence, street crime and terrorism. |
| “Without more funding quite soon I am really concerned that will be very difficult to maintain ... I am really concerned that we won’t be able to respond to what I anticipate will be one of the logical conclusions of the counter-terrorism review, which is that we need to do more through neighbourhood policing to stop people from becoming violent extremists. I am concerned that other aspects of preventative work will be very hard for my service to do.” | “Without more funding quite soon I am really concerned that will be very difficult to maintain ... I am really concerned that we won’t be able to respond to what I anticipate will be one of the logical conclusions of the counter-terrorism review, which is that we need to do more through neighbourhood policing to stop people from becoming violent extremists. I am concerned that other aspects of preventative work will be very hard for my service to do.” |
| She said counter-terrorism officers had been working at an extraordinary tempo with a 30% increase in workload which included thwarting seven potential attacks in seven months, in addition to the attacks that have taken place. | She said counter-terrorism officers had been working at an extraordinary tempo with a 30% increase in workload which included thwarting seven potential attacks in seven months, in addition to the attacks that have taken place. |
| The Met commissioner is the latest senior police officer to warn the government over the impact of further cuts ahead of the budget. Last week the home secretary, Amber Rudd, warned police chiefs not to “reach for a press release” at the first sign of a rise in crime and said funding decisions had to be based on evidence not assertion. | The Met commissioner is the latest senior police officer to warn the government over the impact of further cuts ahead of the budget. Last week the home secretary, Amber Rudd, warned police chiefs not to “reach for a press release” at the first sign of a rise in crime and said funding decisions had to be based on evidence not assertion. |
| Dick said she recognised funding decisions were for politicians to make but added it was “my job to advise on the consequences which I am very concerned about”. However, only six of the 11 committee MPs were there to hear her warning. | Dick said she recognised funding decisions were for politicians to make but added it was “my job to advise on the consequences which I am very concerned about”. However, only six of the 11 committee MPs were there to hear her warning. |
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| Budget 2017 (November) | Budget 2017 (November) |
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