Greenwich

Reuters

There will be 33,000 police officers in London by April next year, the head of the Met has said today.

Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said the force would reach 31,500 by spring, and 32,300 by early autumn this year.

Officer numbers in the capital began falling in 2016, and dipped below 30,000 two years ago – the first time since 2003.

Recruitment has since risen with cash from City Hall, with 31,000 officers now in place.

But the Mayor of London and the Met believe the capital needs an extra 6,000 police to tackle high violent crime.

There were more homicides in London last year than any year since 2008, and over 15,000 knife crimes.

Dame Cressida told the London Assembly’s Police and Crime Committee today that the Government’s police settlement would help the Met to reach next year’s 33,000 target.

The Commissioner said it was a “huge achievement” that between 350 and 450 officers were going through training at Hendon police college each month.

Most London firefighters have received no face-to-face training on how to respond to a high-rise fire since the Grenfell disaster, senior brigade officers admitted today.

Rank and file firefighters have only received a “basic” online training programme to date – almost three years since the devastating fire destroyed the Grenfell Tower in North Kensington.

A total of 72 people were killed in the June 2017 blaze – but more lives could have been saved if people had been told to evacuate sooner, according to the report from the first phase of the Grenfell Inquiry.

But there was visible shock when newly appointed London Fire Commissioner Andy Roe told London Assembly members that most firefighters have had only “the most basic” training on high-rise fires since the disaster.

And Mr Roe admitted that even this was not delivered until August last year – more than two years after the fire.

Speaking to the Assembly’s fire committee, he said: “We have given what I would consider the most basic provision to our officers which covers the sort of decisions they might have to make, the basic guidance.

“But that needs to be supported and better embedded with changes to operational procedure.”

The new commissioner – who was responsible for scrapping “stay put” advice at Grenfell minutes after he arrived at the fire – said senior officers have received more detailed training.

Gas has been restored to 100 households in Richmond, south-west London, overnight but many more remain without any supply since a water main burst a week ago.

Gas supplies were switched off after the leak on 23 January which led to water getting into 35 km (21.7 miles) of gas pipes.

Distributor Cadent said it had pumped out more than 50,000 litres of water from a "big gas main" north of the railway lines overnight and would now be sending down a robotic camera.

"We expect clearing this huge blockage will be a major breakthrough in restoring gas supplies", they said.

However, the firm has warned customers to be "prepared for this to go into the weekend". Further updates can be found here.

Following the initial leak, about 1,200 homes were without any gas while another 600 have had low gas pressures.

Ahead of Britain's departure from the EU tonight, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has issued this statement:

Mayor of London

A man was shot and another man was stabbed during what police believe was a fight in north London.

The two victims, both aged 25, were found injured in Alma Road, Enfield, shortly after 18:00 yesterday.

Both were taken to hospital by paramedics. The man who was shot remains in a critical condition while the wounds suffered by the man who was stabbed are not considered life-threatening.

Officers believe they were hurt during an "altercation" between two groups of men and no arrests have been made, the Met said.

PA Media

Violence in London has cost the capital £3bn, a City Hall report has found.

Last year 154 people were murdered in London - the highest since 2008.

Findings suggest only a handful of streets and estates across London are at the heart of rising violence and have "links to deprivation".

Two reports commissioned by City Hall's Violence Reduction Unit suggest deprivation and a lucrative drugs market make some communities particularly vulnerable.

It is suggested that costs in 2018-19 for responding to homicides, violence offences, sexual offences and robbery, together with the loss of economic output was £3bn

This took into account the initial emergency service response, police investigations and the criminal justice process.

Ms Peck will be writing to the government to ask for serious case reviews to be conducted whenever someone is murdered to improve understanding of why it happens.

"We're already investing in a programme to drive down school exclusions, provide greater after-school care for young people and support communities who often know what works best in their areas, but don't have the tools or resources to do as much as we would like," she said.

"The reports will help further our understanding and knowledge and reinforces our approach to focusing our efforts on providing interventions in specific local areas to drive down violence."