Scotland Yard’s riot squad should be axed because it is damaging the relationship between police and young people, a London politician said today.
London Assembly member Jenny Jones said the Territorial Support Group was alienating young Londoners in a snapshot report into trust problems between police and young people in the capital.
Ms Jones, a Green Party assembly member, highlighted research by the Safer London Foundation which found that half of young people questioned said relations between young people and the police were negative.
After a series of visits to youth projects, Ms Jones said officers needed training schemes to teach them how to work with youngsters but claimed the Met was axing these to save money.
Ms Jones recommended the Met scrap the TSG, saying young people she met called the squad’s specialist riot vehicles “bully vans”, and suggested the funding be used to train more officers. She said: “This one team appears to exemplify the problems between young people and the police.”
A Met spokesman said the TSG was attempting to improve relations with young people but added that officers often faced difficult situations.
