London schools are at risk of “increased violence” and “gang exploitation” following the decision to remove specialist police officers, headteachers have told Sky News.
Education leaders are “urging” the Metropolitan Police to reconsider a decision to transfer 371 safer schools officers into neighbourhood policing teams next month.
Teachers warn pupils will be at “greater risk” of violence as a result – and some students told Sky News they were worried “more knives” and “more drugs” would be brought into schools.
Safer schools officers were introduced into London schools in 2009, where they help de-escalate peer-on-peer conflict and prevent youth involvement in crime.
In a letter obtained by Sky News, a group of 15 headteachers from secondary schools in northeast London have written to the Met Police warning that “without the support of safer school officers, vulnerable students may become prey to exploitation and, in turn, perpetrators of crime”.
Sam Jones, chair of The Waltham Forest Secondary Heads group, which wrote the letter, said teachers were “extremely concerned” about the withdrawal of safer school officers and they had not been consulted about the decision.
Mr Jones told Sky News that the decision was “very misguided”.
“We think that it will increase in violence, potentially increase bullying and weapons-related incidents,” he said.
Safer schools officers are a “key deterrent when it comes to gang recruitment and county lines issues,” he added.
“I think this is a huge backward step.”
Knife crime hit a record high of 16,521 offences in London in the year ending September 2024 – an 18% increase from the previous year, according to the Office for National Statistics.
A Sky News survey of secondary school teachers in England revealed almost one in five had seen pupils with knives in schools.
Students from Footsteps Trust in London said the removal of officers could make schools more violent.
“There will be more knives,” Tyrelle, 14, told Sky News. “There will be fighting, there will be drugs coming into school and no one will be there to actually stop it.”
“If anything happens outside of school you can tell them [the safer school officer] and let them know,” he added.
Another pupil, Mikolej, 15, said having an officer in their school had been a “good thing” that had helped young people “speak more to police officers outside of school”.
Chris Hall, headteacher of Footsteps Trust, told Sky News it was “quite staggering” that no one in education was consulted about the decision.
He said the school-based officers had been “very, very, valuable assets” who had helped familiarise “young people with the police in the most positive way”.
“I would 100% ask them [the Met] to re-consider,” Mr Hall said.
Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy echoed calls for the police force to think again, telling Sky News she hoped the force would “sit down with all of us so that we can work together on this”.
In a letter to headteachers, the Met said the changes will come into effect from 2 May and that the decision was “not made lightly”.
The force said the changes aimed to improve their presence in the community.
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Glen Pavelin, frontline policing commander for neighbourhoods, said: “Although officers will no longer be based in schools, they will join local policing teams where they will retain strong relationships with schools to ensure that any incidents of reports of knife crime can be dealt with quickly.
“Officers will also work with local organisations and other youth-based establishments to safeguard young people, prevent victimisation and reduce crime and anti-social behaviour beyond schools.”
The Met Police announced last week it will cut 1,700 officers and staff to plug a £260m budget shortfall.
