This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Britain’s most senior police officer has criticised the government’s austerity programme for forcing a cut in police numbers at a time when he says more officers are needed.

In a parting shot at ministers before he retires as Metropolitan police commissioner at the end of the month, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe questions the wisdom of police budget cuts.

“The bottom line is there will be less cops,” he told LBC radio in an interview to be broadcast next week to mark his retirement. He said: “There is only so much you can cut and make efficiencies and then you’ve got to have less police and I’m not sure that’s wise in this city.”

Two women, Cressida Dick, a former Met commander working at the Foreign Office on secondment, and Sara Thornton, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, are among the four senior officers on the shortlist to succeed Hogan-Howe.

Asked to identify the biggest challenges facing his successor, Hogan-Howe said the first would be “money”.

He suggested it was “getting difficult” because London needed more police officers. “It’s getting bigger and we have some big events,” he said, citing deployments of thousands of officers to police the Notting Hill carnival and New Year’s Eve celebrations.

“You need cops,” the commissioner said. “You can’t throw laptops at crowds. You’ve got to deal with the situations you face, so that’s going to be a real challenge.”

He also cited the Met’s role in leading the counter-terrorist network throughout the UK.

He said: “We’ve got officers based in embassies right around the world here.

“These are big things that whoever is going to take that job on has got to deal with and got to make sure they understand the complexity of it and give a clear leadership.”

Hogan-Howe has become increasingly vocal about the squeeze on police resources as he nears retirement. Last month he said “warning lights are flashing” after official figures confirmed a rise in murder and knife crime.

At the time he said: “The mayor of London [Sadiq Khan] said this week that inadequate funding will make it ‘near impossible to maintain the number of police on our streets’. He’s worried. I’m worried.”

Asked what his advice to his successor would be, Hogan-Howe told LBC: “Have a holiday before they start. Think through carefully what they want to achieve over the next three to five years ... They’re going to have to work really hard.

“On average, I think my hours have been about 72-75 hours per week. I’ve loved it but it is hard work.”

The full interview will be broadcast next week on LBC’s Nick Ferrari at Breakfast.