Police pledge to tackle shoplifters and phone thieves despite huge cuts
Scotland Yard plans to transfer 170 officers to neighbourhood teams in seven of London's worst crime hotspots.
The Met was forced to shrink its headcount by 1,700 before March 2026 after failing to secure enough additional funding from the government and the mayor.
The fresh focus on crime hotspots will see officers move to the West End, Brixton, Kingston, Ealing, Finsbury Park, Southwark and Spitalfields.
But the change in emphasis will see the abolition of the Royal Parks Police, the removal of police officers from schools and cuts to the mounted section, dog units, traffic officers and the flying squad.
The force is also drawing up plans to close front counters at some police stations and cut opening hours at others.
Senior officers have called the reorganisation "Tough Choices".
The Met insisted it was "ruthlessly prioritising" its resources on core policing and putting more officers on the beat.
The changes will see up to 80 officers moved to the West End to tackle antisocial behaviour, violence against women and girls, shoplifting and phone theft.
The move comes 24 hours after the Policy Exchange think tank reported a 60% jump in muggings involving knives in central London.
Another 90 police will be deployed in the six other "town centres" identified as having the most thefts and robberies.
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said: "The Met is getting smaller but more capable."
He added: " We have a laser-like focus on ensuring our officers and staff are in roles where they can drive down crime on issues that matter the most to Londoners."
London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said the new initiative was bolstered by an additional £32m from the Home Office and City Hall.
He said: "Despite years of austerity by the previous government, this is the latest example of the Met Police and I prioritising what Londoners want and delivering on our pledge to put high visibility policing at the heart of fighting crime and rebuilding community confidence and trust."
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