The Met is having to deal with cyber-crime and terrorist threats

Scotland Yard is due to lose up to 4,000 police officers as part of budget cuts at a time when London is struggling to contain rising crime.

Cressida Dick, the new Metropolitan police commissioner, has been forced to approve the removal of up to one in eight officers to save £400m from its £3bn budget.

Critics said the move, to be announced within weeks, would threaten public safety while the Met is dealing with complex cyber-crime and an ever-present terrorist threat.

Internal estimates put the number of officers to leave and not be replaced at between 2,500 and 4,000.

Under the move, officer numbers could fall from just under 32,000 to about 28,000, the 2003 level.

Figures from the Met indicate gun crime is up