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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
John Dunne

Met police to phase out work from home as staff 'to be told to return to desks'

Met police staff are reportedly to be asked to return to their desk as the force phases out working from home.

A phased-in system will see some departments issued a maximum one day a week Work from Home compared to the current three.

A formal announcement is due in the next fortnight, according to the Sun.

It comes as bosses admit some of the Met’s 46,000 workers - 33,852 officers and 13,795 support staff - have regularly worked from home after practices introduced during the covid pandemic.

A police source told the Sun: “No one knows where staff will go, so many buildings have been sold off.

"Staff are not happy. Expect mass resignations.”

But another source added: “Expectations are changing. Not all staff are needed operationally in the office, or on site, seven days a week but it is fair to say some staff have taken advantage of practices since the pandemic.”

The Met is already heading for its lowest staffing levels in a decade by March 2025 with 310 officers per 100,000 Londoners down from 342 in March 2023.

The Met has not commented on the reports that it will change its policy on work from home.

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