Metropolitan Police | London

11:52 am, Mon 14 Jul 2014 New Metropolitan Police officers 'must live in city'

Diverse workforce 'important for effective policing'

The police need a workforce with a good understanding of the diverse communities they serve, Policing minister Damian Green has said, after it was announced that new police constables would be hired exclusively from around the city.

Officers must be able to gain the trust and support of those communities to report crime and work with them. A workforce which is drawn from and reflects the communities it serves is an important element of fair and effective policing.

I support the Met Commissioner and Mayor of London's determination to ensure that their workforce can understand and relate to communities in a modern, diverse and dynamic city like London.

11:45 am, Mon 14 Jul 2014 New Metropolitan Police officers 'must live in city'

Met Commissioner: Local recruitment will ensure trust

Hiring local officers will ensure a good local knowledge and maintain the trust and confidence of residents, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has said.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe Credit: PA

Sir Hogan-Howe added: "Recruiting constables with a knowledge and understanding of this reality through living in the capital makes sense to help us achieve this aim.

"They will have a better understanding of local issues, knowledge of local communities and an inbuilt insight into London's varied cultures. We need great talent to help us fight crime."

London Mayor: Police force must reflect city it serves

The Metropolitan Police's local recruitment move will see 5,000 new police officers in the next two years, London Mayor Boris Johnson has said.

London Mayor Boris Johnson pictured in 2013 during a police conference at City Hall Credit: PA

Mr Johnson added: "It is vital that London's police force reflects the city it serves [...] Recent recruitment rounds have attracted a more diverse pool of applicants, but by focusing exclusively on Londoners from now on, we can achieve our goals more quickly."

The new policy, which comes into effect on August 1, will not affect serving officers or police staff, the Met said.

Read: Met Police to recruit exclusively from London residents

5:17 pm, Sun 13 Jul 2014 New Metropolitan Police officers 'must live in city'

Met Police to recruit exclusively from London residents

The Met Police will recruit exclusively from London residents for new police constables from the 1st of August. Mayor Boris Johnson and Metropolitan Police Commissioner will announce the new criteria today. New applicants will have to have lived in the capital for 3 of the last 6 years.

5:44 pm, Fri 11 Jul 2014

£25m of cocaine found hidden in plastic bananas

Police officers have found cocaine with an estimated street value of £25 million hidden in plastic fruit among a shipment of bananas from Colombia.

Officers from the Met's Special Projects Team tracked a lorry carrying the consignment of bananas from when it arrived in Dover at 6am yesterday, to a unit at the Oast Park Trading Estate in Hartlip, Kent at 9am. They also watched as a 48-year-old man unloaded it into a warehouse.

£25 million worth of cocaine found stashed in plastic bananas Credit: Metropolitan Police

The warehouse was kept under surveillance while another team monitored three other men, who later met in an internet cafe in Stockwell, London, and are believed to have accessed instructions relating to the shipment, the force said.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "The recovered drugs have a wholesale value of around £7 million, with a street value in excess of £25 million. All four men remain in custody at a London police station."