Police Service Issue Trident Statement

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) have released a statement confirming no plans to disband the Trident command.

The MPS made it clear that no organisational structures are sacrosanct, that it remains committed to working with London communities to prevent and investigate shootings, and that they are reviewing all options on how it can deliver a better service to Londoners at a time of reducing budgets.

They highlighted their commitment to continue investigating all non-fatal and fatal shootings across the city.

Trident has played a central role in the MPS's success in tackling gun crime, particularly in London's black communities.

However the Metropolitan Police, like the rest of the public sector, is facing very challenging times, as they face further budget cuts.

A spokeman said: “We don't yet know the full impact that the budget cuts will have on the MPS and we are unlikely to know our final budget for several months due to the complexity of our funding structures.

“We are going through the figures very carefully with the Police Authority to assess their full impact. As part of this process, all commands within the MPS will be scrutinised to ensure that they deliver their services as effectively and as efficiently as possible.”

They added: “We remain committed to continuing to deliver a better policing service for less by streamlining our business support and making best use of our operational assets.”

At this stage, no decisions have been made on any future structuring of Trident.

The Trident Independent Advisory Group has been, and will continue to be, consulted on how Trident can prevent shootings and bring those responsible to justice.

The MPS will continue to work with communities as considerations and possible changes take place.

(BMcN/GK)