Andrew Boff’s claim that Mayor of London, Boris Johnson is increasing police numbers in this year’s budget is simply untrue (Viewpoints, Gazette, March 3).
After years of year-on-year increases in police funding and numbers under Ken Livingstone, Mayor Johnson has reduced police numbers in every single one of his annual budgets since coming to power.
Numbers are set to fall this year despite his late conversion to unfreezing recruitment with the recruitment of approximately 500 new officers simply reducing the loss of 1,100 officers which would otherwise be the case. The Mayor, his Deputy for Policing and some Conservative members on the Assembly are simply indulging in the kind of spin which brings politics into disrepute. – Jennette Arnold, London Assembly Member for North East London, City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, SE1.
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