A Labour councillor has welcomed the Mayor of London's planned £60 million investment for the Met Police after knife crime concerns in Bromley.

Mayor Sadiq Khan said he is investing the money now and in future years to reduce the impact of government cuts to police budgets.

Councillor Angela Wilkins said: "Quite simply, we have had too many victims of knife and other violent crimes in Bromley recently – and we have seen closures of police local neighbourhood offices. Now, thanks to Sadiq, our police numbers will not be cut even further.”

News Shopper reported this month how seven teenagers were arrested and four knives seized following the stabbing of a 16-year-old boy in the Glades Shopping Centre.

The four boys arrested were aged between 14-17.

Cllr Wilkins said she had concerns regarding the upcoming police merger of Bromley, Croydon and Sutton commands, but laid the blame on the Conservative government.

She added: "Sadiq has repeatedly warned that with further savings needed, the Met is running out of options and that police officer numbers in the capital could fall significantly below 30,000 before 2021 – a dangerous low which presents a serious risk to the safety of Londoners.

"In announcing this extra money, which has been diverted from non-policing initiatives, Sadiq is putting as much money as he can into protecting the public."

The police merger was announced after Scotland Yard said they were enduring "sign financial challenges" and must make savings of £325 million.

Bromley was also rocked this year when a murder was reported in Chislehurst following reports of a fight.

An 18-year-old was announced as a murder victim hours after he was found in Empress Drive.

Speaking about the investment - Mayor Khan said: "Following massive government cuts to police forces and preventative services over the course of nearly eight years, crime is rising across the country, particularly violent crime such as knife crime and robbery.

"I’m not willing to stand by when it’s the safety of Londoners being put at risk. So I’ve taken the decision to allocate the Met funding using money collected from business rates that would usually be spent on other important projects in London."