Sir Sadiq Khan has been put on blast for his “ludicrous” decision to close off one of London’s most popular sightseeing spots for New Year’s Eve.
Speaking to GB News, leader of the Conservatives in the London Assembly Susan Hall took aim at the London Mayor for not “funding police properly” in the capital.
The Metropolitan Police have announced Primrose Hill will be closed this evening for New Year’s Eve, with officers fencing off the area and preventing crowds from watching the capital’s fireworks display.
The move comes amid wider changes to policing in London after the Mayor scrapped the Royal Parks Police.
Hitting out at the decision, Ms Hall told GB News: “I feel so sorry for young people who are the ones that are more likely to go up there. Apparently there were 30,000 people there last year, but because it was impromptu, it wasn’t organised properly, security was not put in place.
“And now, of course, we’re using police to keep people out as opposed to keeping people safe. Which begs the question about our Metropolitan Police. And is it Sadiq Khan’s fault? Yes.
“He does not fund them properly, and to actually get rid of the Royal Parks Police was ridiculous. We’ve got over 5,000 acres of land on our Royal Parks, and now we’re expecting safer neighbourhood teams to keep them safe. It’s ludicrous, absolutely ludicrous.”
Asked by host Nana Akua why they would close Primrose Hill, Ms Hall stressed that there is no longer proper policing for Royal Parks.
Susan Hall has hit out at Sir Sadiq Khan for his decision to close off Primrose Hill on New Year’s Eve
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PA / GB NEWS
She explained: “Well, actually, it’s all run by the Royal Parks Charity, and it’s they who have actually asked the police to close the parks and make sure people don’t get there, so it’s actually run by that. But it is all exacerbated by the fact that we haven’t got proper Royal Parks Police, and we should do.
“You know how bad things are in London, we are so short of police officers and we’re not recruiting enough, and that is down to Sadiq Khan who is our Police and Crime Commissioner.”
As host Tom Harwood expressed concern for “more and more parks” being “fenced off” due to lack of efficient security, Ms Hall agreed: “Yes they will , because they can’t be kept safe.
“And it wasn’t just the Royal Parks Police, dog units, horse units, forensics, there were so many officers taken out of units that some of them we wouldn’t be aware of so much.”
Primrose Hill has been barricaded for New Year’s Eve | PA
She added: “Those of us that do a lot of work with the police are aware, but it’s absolutely dreadful. The amount of money that needs to go into the police for them to keep us safe, this is what he should be concentrating on, not all the other projects he’s got.
Comparing London’s New Year’s Eve events to those of Sydney in Australia, Ms Hall argued that Sir Sadiq should be “encouraging” young people to come to London, not turning them away.
She told the People’s Channel: “In Sydney, there are 48 spots to see these wonderful fireworks. 39 of them are free for their residents to go and have a look.
“And we want to bring young people into London. We want people to come in and enjoy themselves. And if all we do is fence places off so that people can’t have a good time, it’s absolutely appalling.”
Ms Hall told GB News that it is ‘absolutely appalling’
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GB NEWS
In a statement, a spokesman for the Mayor of London has previously said: “Nothing is more important to the Mayor than keeping London safe, and he continues to lead the way by being tough on crime with a record £1.16billion in support for the police this year alone.
“And tough on the complex causes of crime through the country’s first Violence Reduction Unit, which is leading an approach rooted in prevention and intervention.”
Meanwhile, the Royal Parks charity, which oversees the site, acknowledged the decision to shut the gates was “not taken lightly”.
A spokesman for the organisation explained because the gathering was not a formally organised event, there were “limited controls that we can deploy to ensure public safety”.