Met Police axing London's Royal Parks unit is a massive mistake that will leave visitors at risk - warning

The force has announced it will cut 1,700 officers, PCSOs and staff, including disbanding the Royal Parks Police, as it faces an eye-watering £260million hole in its budget for the coming year.

Disappointed Richmond Council Leader Gareth Roberts raised concerns about the safety of visitors to the eight Royal Parks once they lose the dedicated unit. Richmond is home to two Royal Parks – Richmond Park and Bushy Park, which are two of the largest green spaces in London.

He said: “At a time when residents are already concerned about the visibility of policing, this decision will do nothing to reassure them. The loss of the specialist policing team would leave them more vulnerable to crime and antisocial behaviour. This is a huge mistake.”

Councillor Roberts said the parks need officers with specialist training and experience. Without the Royal Parks Police, he said, responsibility for the vast open spaces will fall to overstretched local officers who are already managing high demand elsewhere.

He added: “The Royal Parks Police provide a vital service, ensuring our parks remain safe and well-managed. Their work includes enforcing park regulations and responding to incidents quickly and effectively. Losing this specialist team places an additional burden on already overstretched local policing resources and risks leaving our parks unprotected.

“Our parks are essential for residents’ health and wellbeing. They must remain safe, and we will continue to push for the resources needed to protect them.”

Commissioner Mark Rowley said in December the Met could be forced to cut 2,300 police officers and 400 staff as it was facing a huge £450m budget gap. While this outcome has been avoided with extra funding from central government and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, slashing the shortfall to £260m, the Met said it still needed to make ‘substantial tough choices’ as it announced the cuts. The council said it is seeking assurances around the potential impact of the cuts on public safety and emergency response times.

A Met spokesperson said: “We are very grateful for the additional funding we have received from the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) and the Home Office. While this new funding decreases our original funding gap from £450m, it leaves us with a £260m shortfall and we will have to make substantial tough choices, reducing our size by over 1,700 officers, staff and PCSOs and therefore our services.

“This places an extraordinary stretch on our dedicated men and women. The commissioner is incredibly grateful and humbled by what they achieve with increased demand and a rapidly shrinking Met. Over the coming months, we will be working with the Home Office, Mayor and MOPAC through the spending review to put the Met on a financial footing which enables a sustainable workforce plan.”