FIVE sergeants are due be cut from Safer Neighbourhood Teams in Enfield following a Met-wide review of community policing.

The cuts are part of a raft of cost-cutting measures to be discussed by the Metropolitan Police Authority on Thursday, with some Seregants to take charge of more than one police team.

However, residents' fears they would lose their local police teams altogether have been eased as the Met and Mayor of London Boris Johnson committed to keeping police teams in each ward.

Chief Superintendent Dave Tucker, Borough Commander for Enfield, welcomed the retention of Safer Neighbourhood Teams and reassured residents he would have control over deployment of officers in the future.

He said: “Under our proposals every ward in Enfield will continue to have its own Safer Neighbourhoods team working with and for local people.

“We intend for our Safer Neighbourhoods teams, which have become familiar sights in local communities, to continue to do the things they have always done by supporting local communities and helping address their crime or safety concerns.

“And we propose to keep each team with at least two PCs and three PCSOs, which we intend to protect from any reductions.

“As borough commander for Enfield I will retain operational control of my teams and ensure they are being used in the right way to work with local people to help keep communities safe.

“I'm pleased to reaffirm the Met's strong commitment to community policing.”

The review recommended local police teams are more flexible in the future, with officers temporarily redeployed to crime hotspots within their borough.

However, each ward would retain one PC and one PCSO for that time, to ensure a uniformed presence on the street is still apparent.