The Scoop

Can the planned cuts to the Metropolitan Police now still go ahead?

Adam Bienkov | Tuesday 9 August, 2011 10:42

Calls to bring in water cannon, rubber bullets and the army are thankfully being resisted by the government this morning.

The riots need to be dealt with forcefully but they need to be dealt with by the police. The army would only risk making matters worse.

And whilst the force obviously needs to be bolstered in the short term, in the longer term far more needs do be done.

Last night the police were under-manned, under-resourced and under-led, with reports that all police station cells in the capital were full.

The Metropolitan Police clearly needs more resources not less and the idea that the planned cuts to police numbers, safer neighbourhood teams and police station front desks will still go ahead must surely now be dead.

Boris Johnson and the government have advocated a light touch police force in London doing much more with less. The events of the last few nights have killed off that agenda.

Last year the Met were criticised for warning of unrest on the streets with their fears dismissed as special pleading.

Something tells me they will be getting a far more sympathetic hearing this morning.

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