London’s ‘neighbourhood policing crisis’ deepens as Labour fails to back reforms
Labour has failed to back Lib Dem proposals to guarantee minimum levels of neighbourhood policing — a move that comes as new data shows London spirals into a growing community policing crisis.
The two key amendments, tabled by the Liberal Democrats to the Crime and Policing Bill, would have ensured a statutory baseline for local police presence. Labour’s failure to back these changes leaves communities vulnerable, as new data highlights the strain on frontline officers.
Liberal Democrat analysis reveals that in 2025, up to the end of May, the rate of Met Police abstractions, when officers are pulled from their neighbourhoods to police other parts of London, is already 62% higher than at the same point in 2024, which itself set the record for the most abstractions in a year.
Bobby Dean, Liberal Democrat MP for Carshalton and Wallington, said:
“London is in the midst of a neighbourhood policing crisis. Local police officers are being pulled away from walking the beat in the communities they’re meant to protect. Crimes are going unsolved and public trust in the police is crumbling.
“Labour had the opportunity to change course today, but instead they chose to continue the Conservative legacy of failing on crime.
“We need a return to proper community policing, where people know their local officers and those officers know the communities they serve.”