Ealing's police force spent £47,680,610 last year. But figures released by the the Metropolitan Police under the Freedom of Information Act reveal their proposed budget for next year (2011/12) has been reduced to £46,724,850.

Local London Assembly member, Murad Qureshi, described the cut as deeply worrying. The recent looting, arson and riots in London should make the mayor and government think again, Murad said.

Murad said: "I'm deeply worried that slashing our local police will affect their ability to keep us safe and keep us feeling safe. We saw in August how important it is to have police on the streets when trouble hits. The mayor and the government should take note and reverse their police cuts."

According to Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), London is set to lose almost 3,000 uniformed officers by 2015 - 1,907 police officers and 902 police community support officers.

8th September 2011