WALTHAM Forest Council will ask for more police officers to be drafted into Waltham Forest.

Council leader Chris Robbins and his colleagues say a recent police report shows the borough is being ‘short-changed’ compared to other areas in London.

A meeting has been arranged with senior Met officials to discuss the perceived shortfall in numbers.

Cllr Robbins said: “We know Waltham Forest is 120 police officers short and we will be enlisting the support of residents to campaign for these extra officers if our request for reinforcements is refused.

“We all know the police officers we do have, do a fantastic job but we don’t have enough to go round and we want a fair deal for Waltham Forest.

“We are ready to call everyone in this borough to action to campaign for the police we expect and deserve because public safety is an absolute concern for our residents.

“Residents have told us that community safety is a serious concern for them and we are responding to that concern.”

“The Council will keep residents up to date on our progress on this important issue and we’ll be letting you know how you can get involved at a later date.

“In the meantime we’ll be doing all we can to persuade the police that we have a compelling need for reinforcements to support our admirable, but thinly stretched police in Waltham Forest.”