Scotland Yard is axing 1,700 police, staff and community support officers amid a £260 million budget shortfall, it was announced earlier this month.
It is reviewing the future of the Royal Parks policing unit, which works within Hyde Park, Regent’s Park, Primrose Hill, Kensington Gardens, Green Park, Richmond Park, Bushy Park, Greenwich Park and other open spaces run by the Royal Parks charity.
Pressure group Primrose Hill Watch alerted its followers to the plans with posters on park gates and on social media site X.
It wrote: “The Met’s plans to disband the dedicated Royal Parks Police will surely mean a less regular police presence in our parks.”
It drew attention to a reported robbery in February, in which ten teenagers with a machete allegedly surrounded four park-goers and threatened them.
A 16-year-old girl was raped in Primrose Hill on April 11, and teenager Harry Pitman was stabbed to death in the park on December 31, 2023 while celebrating the New Year with friends.
A notice on the gates in Primrose Hill saying the Royal Park police are at risk of being disbanded (Image: Primrose Hill Watch)
Primrose Hill Watch urged followers to write to City Hall and to Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley, adding: “We need to feel safe in our parks.”
The group told the Ham&High that police officers are often taken off shifts to help during marches in central London.
They added : “If the parks police are gone and the borough police sent elsewhere most of the time, who will police this often congested park?
“We are very concerned that the Royal Parks Police is to be disbanded – we need more policing in our parks, not less.”
A Royal Parks’ spokesperson said they were “awaiting full details” of the decision to disband the unit, including timelines, from Scotland Yard.
They added: “The Royal Parks Operational Command Unit (OCU) and its predecessors have been a massive part of the rich history of the parks in London for over 150 years.
“We are deeply grateful to our police colleagues who have been so committed in their work to protect our amazing green spaces and ensure the safety, security and welfare of the millions of visitors to the parks.
“The safety and wellbeing of everyone who uses the Royal Parks is our top priority, and we want to reassure the public that we are working closely with the police to put a plan in place which will maintain public safety once this cut comes into force.
“Only the Metropolitan Police Service can enforce the Park Regulations.”
A Met spokesperson said: “We have been clear on the financial challenges the Met faces.”
“As expected, we are carefully planning for any tough choices we may have to make to ensure we live within our means, and as part of that we are working closely with partners to ensure they are aware and prepared.”
