Lib Dems speak out on Boris Johnston's Police Cuts

11.20.00am GMT Sat 13th Feb 2010

The new budget will see police officer numbers in London cut over the next couple of years by 455.

Lib Dems in London have spoken out at the police cuts announced by Boris Johnson in his new budget.

Despite fighting an election with pledges to tackle crime in London, the new budget will see a 455 cut in the number of police officers by 2012, and raises questions about what shape budget cuts might take nationally under a Tory government.

Liberal Democrats on the London Assembly tabled a fully costed amendment to the budget, which would have reversed the proposed Met police budget cuts. This was rejected.

Lib Dem Parliamentary Campaigner for Vauxhall, Caroline Pidgeon, said "The Lib Dem proposals would have seen an increase in front-line police officers in London by 246; it is a slap in the face to Londoners that the Mayor has ignored our proposals and proceeded to cut police officer numbers over the next couple of years by 455"