Public sector strikes could stop police fighting crime, Met chief says

Public assemblage strikes could halt officers warring transgression effectively, the Metropolitan Police main has said.

This includes spending hours successful hospitals dealing with radical with intelligence wellness conditions - which helium says would worsen if strikes happen.

Sir Mark besides writes that the Met needs a 27% fund summation "just to basal still" compared with 10 years ago.

In a wide-ranging nonfiction for the paper connected the challenges faced by modern policing, the Metropolitan Police commissioner says that, for each intelligence wellness diligent fixed constabulary help, 2 officers walk an mean of 14 hours successful full waiting with them successful hospital.

Sir Mark besides notes that the fig of radical being sectioned by constabulary nether the Mental Health Act has much than quadrupled since 2013.

He writes that "police officers are spending excessively overmuch clip doing societal and wellness work" successful the spot of different agencies who "have for galore reasons stepped back".

"Which volition lone beryllium exacerbated erstwhile different nationalist services strike, thing that the constabulary arsenic Crown Servants cannot do," Sir Mark adds.

The UK's astir elder constabulary serviceman adds that whenever immoderate different nationalist assemblage services goes connected onslaught "it's hard to ideate that much enactment won't perchance overflow successful our direction".

Sir Mark besides points retired the backing problems faced by his force, saying that though determination are present much constabulary officers than a decennary ago, each officers successful being paid little erstwhile ostentation is taken into account.

He says that for salaries to emergence successful existent presumption to lucifer that of the 2010/2011 fiscal year, an concern of astir £878m - adding 27% to the Met's fund - was needed.

Sir Mark acknowledges it was a bully happening determination are "more constabulary successful London than ever before", but said this has been achieved by "pulling 2 different levers which travel astatine a cost".

First by "paying officers acold little successful existent terms", Sir Mark notes that a qualified constable is paid astir 14% little than 10 years agone - with accrued pension contributions further hitting take-home pay.

Secondly, helium says that the Met's enactment services which "set officers up to succeed" person been "hollowed out" to prevention money.

In an acknowledgement of the likelihood of the authorities announcing spending reductions successful the Autumn Statement adjacent week, helium admitted it mightiness not beryllium "realistic successful the existent climate" to hole the challenges with other backing astatine the moment.