Extra police costs during London riots are repaid
Police on the streets of London last year during the trouble
HAMPSHIRE police have received almost £1.2m for their response to the London riots, The News can reveal.
The Met have stumped up £705,000 for the cost of specialist officers sent to help tackle violence in parts of the capital in August.
The cash was recouped as part of standard Mutual Aid payments set down by the Association of Chief Police Officers.
And 87 per cent of a £552,000 special grant application made to the Home Office has been repaid. The force received £481,000 of the amount billed for its response to the riots.
The Home Office cash will boost Hampshire Constabulary’s predicted underspend for this financial year to £9.229m, as the force battles to save cash due to government spending cuts.
Michael Coombes, finance director at the force, said: ‘We’re pleased that the grant application to the Home Office was successful and I’m grateful to those who prepared the claim.
‘The chief constable will be discussing with Hampshire Police Authority how the money might be used in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in supporting public safety and crime reduction in the future.’
Policing in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight was ramped up after violence swept parts of the country last summer.
Rest days were cancelled for front-line officers and police worked 12-hour shifts during the weekend starting on August 12.
At one point the number of officers patrolling our streets soared from 800 to 1,200 as the force sought to keep residents safe.About 200 police community support officers and special constables were also on duty. No rise in crime in was reported locally in the period.
Specialist public order officers from Hampshire were sent to support the Met for more than a month after the violence broke out in the capital.
Officers worked shifts up to 22 hours long, initially travelling to and from London daily. The force also sent officers to help out West Midlands Police.
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