Mayor Sadiq Khan announces £110m police cuts just hours after Met chief Cressida Dick vowed to crack down on London’s illegal raves in showdown talks with Home Secretary Priti Patel
- Mayor Khan revealed scale of cuts just hours after pledge from Dame Cressida
- Met Commissioner spoke out after talks with Home Secretary this morning
- Mrs Patel had demanded a ‘full explanation’ after violence exploded in London
- The commissioner said force staff being hurt was ‘utterly unacceptable’
- She vowed Met would stamp out the illegal events and called for public tip-offs
London Mayor Sadiq Khan stunned the public this morning after announcing £110m of police cuts just hours after Met chief Cressida Dick vowed to crack down on London’s illegal raves.
The top officer, 59, said 140 force staff had been hurt trying to break up the outlawed gatherings which she branded ‘completely utterly unacceptable’.
She insisted the police had managed to stop a number of the lockdown-breaking events, including one in Mitcham last night.
Met Commissioner Cressida Dick spoke with Priti Patel over the illegal raves this morning
But it came as Mr Khan said he expected to have to make huge cuts to police funding due to a £493million shortfall sparked by the coronavirus pandemic.
He insisted: ‘The scale of the challenge is far beyond anything that any local or regional authority could have prepared for. My first priority is to protect frontline emergency services, which is why we have outlined proportionately smaller savings for the police and fire brigade.’
The developments came hours after a phone call between Dame Cressida and Home Secretary Priti Patel this morning.
Mrs Patel had said yesterday she wanted a ‘full explanation’ after fear police were losing control of the streets.
Sources close to the Home Secretary said she had requested the conversation.
The commissioner said violence broke out at a gathering in Notting Hill ‘where some missiles were thrown and some aggression shown to the officers which is completely utterly unacceptable’.
She added: ‘These events are unlawful. They shouldn’t be happening and we have a duty to go and close them down and to disperse them.
‘The local communities hate them, (it is) incredibly anti-social behaviour, very noisy during a pandemic and sometimes violence.
‘For our officers who are simply doing their duty to be attacked is utterly unacceptable.’
Social media showed terrifying scenes in Brixon where thugs attacked police
No officers were injured during the Notting Hill violence which the commissioner described as ‘very unacceptable behaviour but very much less serious’ than the trouble at a block party in Brixton on Wednesday night.
More than 20 officers were injured during the trouble in Brixton which included three ‘really quite nasty injuries’.
The commissioner added: ‘It was a really really horrible incident for them to deal with, really vicious attacks by people using bottles, glasses and anything they could pick up.’
She estimated that ‘well over 100’ officers have been injured during the series of protests, including Black Lives Matter demonstrations, which have taken place in recent weeks.
The commissioner, who noted that some injuries may not be reported until after the incident, suggested that the number of police injuries is now ‘heading up to 140-odd officers, I think, in the last three weeks’.
She added she was in Brixton last night, added: ‘What I saw was Met officers poised to deal with what was required, ready in full kit should there be any violent or aggressive crowds to deal with.
‘The officers on the ground have to make a decision when they are called to do something and how to do that most safely.
‘I am not going to second guess all the decisions on the night at Brixton, suffice to say I have set out as commissioner to ensure that my people are as well supported and as well equipped as they possibly can be.’
In a message to the public, she said: ‘Tell us about unlicensed music events. We will come and close them down.
‘My message to my officers is that I will support you and I will do everything I can to ensure that you are able to do your job to your best ability and that you are well equipped.’
There have been criticism of the Met’s reaction in dealing with the pop-up music events
Former Met detective Peter Bleksley has slammed the force’s tactics and said today: ‘Wednesday evening, Brixton, police in high-vis and flat caps. Thursday evening, Notting Hill, police in full public order kit. Inconsistent. Are senior officers making it up as they go along?’
Nigel Farage told MailOnline he fears a summer of violence after a second night of attacks on police in London.
He said: ‘There is more to come. Respect for the police is gone’.