Overview
- Think tank Policy Exchange published a report recommending removal of the Mayor’s role in overseeing the Metropolitan Police, transferring it to the Home Secretary, and returning the force to special measures lifted earlier this year.
- The study says only 45% of Londoners think the Met performs well locally, down from 69% in 2016 when Sadiq Khan took office.
- The report highlights very low solve rates for high‑volume acquisitive crime, including about 1 in 20 robberies and burglaries, 1 in 76 bicycle thefts, 1 in 179 thefts from a person, and 1 in 13 shoplifting cases.
- It alleges ‘two‑tier policing’ in protest management, citing stringent restrictions on a UKIP march in Tower Hamlets as inconsistent with the handling of other demonstrations.
- City Hall and the Met disputed key claims, pointing to the New Met for London plan, a £1.16 billion mayoral support package, and data showing theft, robbery and vehicle crime down nearly 15% since April, knife-enabled crime down 16%, knife-enabled robbery down over 23%, and homicides at a 10-year low.