Fears of crime surge as Met disbands dedicated Royal Parks police unit
Fears of a crime surge in London's historic Royal Parks are growing after plans emerged to scrap their dedicated policing team as part of sweeping Metropolitan Police budget cuts.
For over 130 years, specialist officers have closely guarded the capital's iconic green spaces, with around 80 Met officers currently assigned to tackle crime, anti-social behaviour, and patrol high-profile events such as the Changing of the Guard.
But the Met has now confirmed these officers will be absorbed into local neighbourhood teams as it attempts to bridge a funding gap of £260 million, Sky News reports.
The Royal Parks charity manages more than 5,000 acres of green space, including Hyde Park, Regent's Park, and Richmond Park.
A spokesperson for the Royal Parks said: "We are disappointed with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) decision to close its dedicated Royal Parks police unit.
"The Royal Parks MPS unit and its predecessors have been a massive part of the rich history of the parks in London for over 150 years.
"We are deeply grateful to those police colleagues who have been so committed in their work to protect our amazing green spaces and ensure the safety, security and welfare of the millions of visitors to the parks."
The charity sought to reassure visitors that their safety "is our top priority," adding it is seeking further clarity from the Met on future policing arrangements.
London Assembly Member Gareth Roberts, who is also Liberal Democrat Leader of Richmond Council, warned that crime would inevitably rise due to reduced policing coverage.
He said: "We will have that type of space within the capital being largely unpoliced.
"I hope that we won't be seeing dire consequences, but we have already seen organised criminal gangs targeting cyclists when they know that the police aren't on duty… and this could open the door to further acts like that."
According to the Royal Parks' latest annual report, crime rose by around one-third between 2022/23 and 2023/24, increasing from 76 incidents to 101.
Sexual offences, phone thefts and drug dealing are among the most frequently reported crimes, while Mr Roberts highlighted recent cases where cyclists have been threatened and robbed of expensive bikes.
Less frequent but disturbing offences include gangs deliberately using dogs to chase deer at night, hoping to force the animals to shed their antlers, which can then be sold online.
Commander Owain Richards confirmed last week that as part of its wider budget cuts, the Met will lose around 1,700 officers and staff, with the Royal Parks team among several specialist units set for disbandment.
In a letter, Commander Richards stated: "It is with regret that we have taken the tough decision to no longer have a dedicated Royal Parks policing team."
The parks have had specialist policing since 1872, beginning with park keepers, replaced by the Royal Parks Constabulary in 1974, and finally the dedicated Royal Parks policing unit established in 2004.
In future, local neighbourhood policing teams will take over responsibility for security and safety in the parks.
A spokesperson for the Met said: "Park users and partners can be reassured the Met will continue to respond to emergency calls, patrol hotspot areas, investigate crimes, and support events in Royal Parks across London.
"We have been working closely with the Royal Parks and stakeholders to understand concerns as we navigate our £260m funding gap and reduce the size of the Met.
"The Met is prioritising neighbourhood policing and see this as a positive opportunity to integrate the Royal Parks into local community crime fighting plans and ensure a wider pool of officers understand the unique requirements of parks policing."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Misconduct probe against ex-Met officer over handling of fake abuse claims ended
A police watchdog has withdrawn gross misconduct proceedings against a former senior Metropolitan Police officer over his handling of false abuse claims made against a string of high-profile figures. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it had stopped the investigation into former Met deputy assistant commissioner Steve Rodhouse after a 'large volume of relevant material was recently disclosed to the IOPC by the Metropolitan Police'. Mr Rodhouse was due to face a disciplinary hearing for potentially breaching police professional standards of behaviour for honesty and integrity and discreditable conduct. The allegations centred around comments made to the media in March 2016 concerning his beliefs about the honesty of two witnesses to Operation Midland – a Met investigation into allegations of non-recent sexual abuse. They also involved remarks he is alleged to have subsequently made to former High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques, who had been commissioned to carry out an independent review of the handling of Operation Midland in August 2016. Operation Midland was launched off the back of lurid and false allegations made by fantasist Carl Beech – later jailed for 18 years for what a judge called 'cruel and callous' lies. The Metropolitan Police's 16-month investigation into fake claims of a VIP paedophile ring saw raids on the homes of former home secretary Lord Brittan, as well as D-Day veteran Lord Bramall and ex-Tory MP Harvey Proctor. The probe ended in 2016 without a single arrest, after Beech made a series of baseless allegations, including of three murders. The force was heavily criticised for believing Beech too readily despite inconsistencies in his evidence, including naming witnesses who did not exist. The IOPC said there was 'no evidence' within the material provided from the Met that there was 'any inappropriate motivation in Mr Rodhouse's comments to the media' or which 'supports that he made those remarks during Sir Richard's review'. In a statement on Thursday, the policing watchdog said there was 'substantial evidence' to indicate comments made to the media were the 'result of collaboration between senior Met officers and staff' and there had been appropriate considerations, including a 'desire not to discourage victims of historic sex offences coming forward'. It added that by failing to follow Sir Richard's recommendation to investigate witnesses, the Met's service was 'unacceptable' and its subsequent reviews concluding no investigation was needed were 'flawed'. The IOPC said it had reported a potential crime to the Met during its investigation, adding this was being investigated by Sussex Police. A 2016 review of Operation Midland, led by Sir Richard Henriques, found offences of attempting to pervert the course of justice should be considered. As then deputy assistant commissioner, Mr Rodhouse was in charge of Operation Midland. He went on to take up a senior role at the National Crime Agency. We've withdrawn our direction that former Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Steve Rodhouse face gross misconduct proceedings after a large volume of relevant material was recently disclosed to us. Read more here:▶️ — Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) (@policeconduct) June 5, 2025 The new material, amounting to more than 3,500 emails and attachments, was provided to the IOPC in March following a further request to the force in preparation for the gross misconduct hearing. IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: 'Today's announcement does not change our finding that by failing to follow Sir Richard's recommendation in his review to investigate the witnesses, the Met's service was unacceptable and its subsequent reviews concluding no investigation was needed were flawed.' Ms Rowe added: 'It is highly regrettable for all concerned that material we requested three years ago during our investigation, and we believed had not been retained due to the Met's retention policy, has only recently been discovered and disclosed. 'Police forces have a legal obligation to provide information to the IOPC when we request it. 'However, we acknowledge that we could have taken further steps during the investigation to seek additional assurance from the Met that relevant email material was definitely unavailable. 'We apologise to all of those affected and we are working with the force to establish exactly how and why this situation has occurred, and to reduce the risk of it happening again.'
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Drastic' action needed to save £1 bus fares
A mayor who pledged to retain a discounted bus scheme warned it was in danger of being lost unless "something drastic" was done. The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority's (CPCA) Tiger bus pass allows people under 25 to travel for £1 and has been used on more than a million journeys. It was introduced by former Labour mayor Nik Johnson, with his Conservative successor Paul Bristow promising it would stay in a BBC interview last month. A recommendation on how to continue funding it beyond the end of the year was not agreed by the CPCA board and will be discussed again at a transport meeting on 25 June. Chris Boden, leader of the Conservative-led Fenland District Council, had argued the council should not continue its local bus fare cap beyond December, when it is currently due to end, and instead fund the Tiger pass. Maintaining the Tiger pass once the national £3 bus fare cap had also ceased in December could mean the CPCA would have to reimburse bus operators to the tune of £473,000 a month, and £6.2m a year, a report to the board stated. "If we don't take some quite drastic action, which involves a large amount of money being shifted around in the budget, then the Tiger pass will stop," he warned. He argued the Tiger pass must be continued to build up passenger numbers but would otherwise run out of funding in the autumn. The measure could run until March, he said, when a new budget and proposal would be put forward. "We have an opportunity here with £1.8m in the budget for the fare cap coming on December 31," he said. "If that money were utilised towards the continuation of the existing Tiger pass to March 31, that would be a very significant part of the funding needed for that." Speaking in support of the proposal, Bristow said: "We are in danger of losing the Tiger pass if we don't do something drastic. "What people want is continuity and security." Lucy Nethsingha, leader of the Liberal Democrat-controlled Cambridgeshire County Council, said she thought the Tiger pass was a "priority" but would rather everyone had the correct figures before making a decision. Anna Bailey, leader of East Cambridgeshire District Council - led by the Tories - supported the recommendation and said the bus fare cap was the "wrong choice" when the Tiger pass was unfunded. Cambridge City Labour councillor Anna Smith, who was deputy mayor when the Tiger pass was introduced, suggested looking beyond the transport budget to find money for the bus pass. The Tiger bus pass and bus fare cap are due to be discussed at a transport meeting on 25 June before being brought back to the board in July. Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Mayor fights to keep Fenland town's bus route £1 Tiger bus pass staying, says new mayor CPCA
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Madeleine McCann searches to end after three days scouring abandoned buildings
Investigators looking in to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann are to conclude their latest searches after three days scouring scrubland and abandoned structures, it is understood. Officers could be seen holding pitchforks as they combed land in an area on the outskirts of Lagos in Portugal on Thursday. Search teams of German and Portuguese police officers, as well as firefighters, used pick-axes and shovels to dig some of the undergrowth and a digger was again used to remove rubble from one of the abandoned structures at the site. The operation comes 18 years after three-year-old Madeleine disappeared from nearby Praia da Luz while on holiday with her family in 2007. The British toddler vanished after she was left sleeping while her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, went for dinner in a nearby restaurant. Personnel have spent two days focusing on one particular derelict building, using a ground-penetrating radar on the cobbled ground after clearing the area of debris and vegetation using a digger and chainsaws. British officers have not been present at the latest searches, the Metropolitan Police said. It is understood officers will conclude the searches on Thursday, Madeleine's parents are not commenting during the 'active police investigation', staff at the Find Madeleine Campaign said. German authorities requested the search as part of their continued attempts to source evidence to implicate prime suspect Christian Brueckner, who is in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005. He is due to be released from jail in September if no further charges are brought. In October last year, Brueckner was cleared by a German court of unrelated sexual offences, alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. In 2023, investigators carried out searches near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz. Brueckner spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017 and had phoographs and videos of himself near the reservoir.
