The specialist unit, which patrols Richmond Park and Bushy Park, will be disbanded as the Met Police attempts to tackle a £260 million budget black hole.
In total, around one thousand seven hundred officers, PCSOs and staff are expected to go, with cuts hitting everything from mounted police to forensics and dog teams.
Richmond Council has criticised the decision, warning it could leave some of London’s largest and most visited parks without the dedicated police cover they need.
Councillor Gareth Roberts, Leader of the Council, said: “This is a huge mistake. At a time when residents are already worried about how visible and available police are, scrapping this specialist team will do nothing to reassure them.
“Our parks aren’t just pretty green spaces – they’re important habitats and community lifelines. Thousands of people use them every day.
“They need officers who understand these spaces and can act quickly when something happens.
“The Royal Parks Police provide a vital service, and losing them places extra pressure on teams who are already working flat out. It risks leaving our parks unprotected and our residents feeling even more vulnerable.
“With the continued strain on resources across London, people feel their concerns about safety are not being addressed. Cuts like this undermine confidence in policing.
“Our parks are essential for residents’ wellbeing – mental and physical – and they must remain safe. We’ll continue to push for the resources needed to protect them.”
The council argues that Richmond Park and Bushy Park together span over 3,600 acres, roughly the size of a London borough, and attract thousands of visitors daily.
Without the Royal Parks Police, responsibility for patrolling these vast green spaces will fall to already-stretched Safer Neighbourhood Teams and borough officers.
The Met Police’s announcement includes a raft of cuts beyond the Royal Parks Police.
Officers based in schools are being removed, front counter opening hours reduced, and several specialist teams will be trimmed including a ten per cent cut to forensics, eleven per cent from historic crime teams, twenty-five per cent from mounted police, and seven per cent from dog units.
Richmond Council is now seeking urgent clarification from the Met Police on how the borough will be kept safe under the new arrangements – not just in the parks, but across high streets, neighbourhoods and in emergency situations.
A spokesperson for the force, which currently has more than 33,200 police officers and 11,300 staff, said: “We are very grateful for the additional funding we have received from the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) and the Home Office.
“While this new funding decreases our original funding gap from £450 million, it leaves us with a £260 million shortfall and we will have to make substantial tough choices, reducing our size by over 1,700 officers, staff and PCSOs and therefore our services.
“This places an extraordinary stretch on our dedicated men and women.
“The Commissioner is incredibly grateful and humbled by what they achieve with increased demand and a rapidly shrinking Met.
“Over the coming months, we will be working with the Home Office, Mayor and MOPAC through the Spending Review to put the Met on a financial footing which enables a sustainable workforce plan.”
