Ken Livingstone promised to reverse cuts to frontline policing in Islington if he wrestles back control of City Hall as he toured the borough this week.
The former Mayor of London blasted Boris Johnson’s axing of Safer Neighbourhoods Teams (SNT) sergeants ahead of a public meeting at the crime-hit Andover Estate, off Seven Sisters Road, Holloway, on Monday.
His words had extra significance in the midst of a community still reeling from the brutal knife killing of 21-year-old Andrew Jaipaul on the estate in June.
He said: “If I am elected there will be no cuts in frontline policing and any Boris makes will be reversed. We want bobbies on the beat.”
Islington faces losing four of its 16 SNT sergeants, which would leave eight wards sharing a sergeant.
The Labour candidate for the May 2012 election had spent the day in Islington – on his rival’s home turf – as part of a tour of the capital’s 32 boroughs, which sees him asking residents for ideas to help shape his manifesto.
“People in Islington seem to be worried about fare increases and not having jobs,” he said. “But they seem to remain upbeat.”
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