Wandsworth Council has warned residents' safety "could be put at risk" following a 51 per cent cut to crime prevention funding.  

London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced recently that funding in Wandsworth will be halved from next year, a reduction of £350,000.

Councillor Jonathan Cook, the council’s community safety spokesperson, said this is a "double whammy" as it coincides with trials being rolled out that will introduce fewer, larger command units covering more than one borough.  

According to the Met’s Crime 2017-2021 Police and Crime Plan, "the aim of this approach is to improve response to crime that crosses borough boundaries, reduce the amount the MPS spends on management and maximise the amount we can spend on frontline policing such as neighbourhood teams and 999 response".

However, critics argue borough police commanders will become much more removed from the communities they serve.

Cllr Cook said the Mayor’s decision is "causing really deep unease".

He said: "The loss of 51 per cent of our crime prevention budget is frankly a recipe for disaster.

"That combined with a new management structure which will make senior officers more distant and less able to concentrate on important local issues is a big mistake.

"Everyone agrees that when it comes to criminal offending, prevention is much better than cure."

Sophie Linden, deputy mayor for Policing and Crime said Londoner’s safety is the Mayor’s "first priority".

She said: "Despite continued pressure on the policing budget, he has maintained local borough funding levels at £72m over the next four years to help prevent crime across the capital.

"The Mayor’s new Police and Crime Plan puts neighbourhood policing and local priorities at the heart of its work, but some of the most serious and complex challenges we face in policing our capital cannot be solved by one borough alone.

"A more joined up approach, and targeting money where it is most needed, will help us to support those areas which are struggling and provide much needed services to all Londoners.

"In Wandsworth, this has enabled us to maintain or increase investment in tackling key issues such as violence against women and girls, knife crime and re-offending, over the next two years.

"We have also increased the number of neighbourhood officers across London, with a second dedicated officer in each ward by the end of this year and the areas of greatest need receiving further support."

Scotland Yard has made £600 million in efficiency savings since 2010 and plans to cut a further £400 million by the end of the decade. 

Cllr Cook said although Wandsworth has an "enviable record as inner London’s safest borough" a "51 per cent cut in funding is simply not a credible proposal for a large inner London borough and risks undoing all the good work that has been done so far".