Police numbers in the capital could fall to their lowest in 15 years if the Government do not “urgently” provide more funding, the Mayor of London has warned.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, today warned the number of police officers in London could fall below 26,800 if the Government does not provide more funding to the Metropolitan Police.

Mr Khan will meet with Home Secretary Sajid Javid on Tuesday to discuss police funding from the Government, which is expected to be announced soon.

He said: “The causes of violent crime are extremely complex, but there is no doubt it has been made far worse by huge government cuts to the police and youth services.

“Even the Home Secretary has finally admitted that the Met won’t be able to tackle violent crime without more funding from the government.

“Now we urgently need to see action to avoid officer numbers falling even further.

“Ministers need to reverse the £1 billion savings forced on the Met and reverse their cuts on youth services and other preventative services so that we can keep our city safe.”

The Mayor’s Office for Police and Crime (MOPAC) estimated the Metropolitan Police is required to make a further £355 million in savings by 2022.

But MOPAC has said this means this could result in police numbers falling to 26,800 – the lowest number since 2002.

The Government provides 76 per cent of police funding in the capital. The Metropolitan Police funding has been cut by over £850 million since 2010.

Figures released earlier this year by City Hall revealed the number of police officers in London had fallen to 3.3 per 1,000 people, with the number of police dropping below 30,000 for the first time in a decade.

The statistics also revealed that Metropolitan Police spending per head in London fell by 20 per cent from 2012 to 2016 – faster than any other police force in the country.