As the consultation over the Mayor’s plans to close and sell off police stations across London comes to an end, a call has been made for the Mayor to first examine the continuing practice of senior police officers being offered free accommodation in expensive flats.
Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member and Member of the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee, described the Mayor’s consultation on Met Police Services as ‘shambolic’ after the details of important public meetings were finally published - almost eight weeks after the consultation started.
Hackney Liberal Democrat Spokeswoman, Pauline Pearce, had a meeting this week with Matt Twist, the Metropolitan Police Commander for the Met Task Force and Armed Police, to discuss arrest protocols following the death of Rashan Charles in Hackney.
The meeting was set up and attended by Caroline Pidgeon, London Assembly member for the Liberal Democrats.
Commenting on the meeting, Pauline Pearce said:
Figures reported to the London Assembly's Police and Crime Committee have shown that the Metropolitan Police have overspent their budget by £30m this year on IT projects, as well as taking £24m from their reserves.
Liberal Democrat committee member Caroline Pidgeon said:
“The Met has a very long history of costly IT blunders, which have cost the public millions of pounds. It appears the Mayor was duped by the Met’s forecasts, which were wildly optimistic in terms of the savings that new technology would make.”
The failure of the Metropolitan Police Service to provide adequate healthcare provision within police custody suites has seen a dramatic increase in ambulances being called out to police stations in every part of London.
Commenting on the figures released in response to a written Mayoral Question, Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member, said:
Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat Londonwide Assembly Member, commenting on the appointment of Cressida Dick as the next Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police Service and the Met’s very first woman Commissioner, said:
“The Metropolitan Police was founded by Robert Peel who declared 188 years ago that the police are the public and the public are the police. Today it feels as if that principle is finally being put into practice with the capital at long last having a woman Commissioner.
