The safety and security of London will be at risk if austerity measures result in cuts to the Metropolitan Police, says a new report.

Think tank Safer Together has warned that public sector reform could mean that public safety is compromised.

Written by RSA Action centre, it states that the next decade will be "amongst the most challenging in the Met's history" and says the organisation is facing "acute pressure" which requires a new approach to public safety.

Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said: “This report highlights the challenges we face from austerity.

"Policing will have to change, we can expect to lose officers.

"What is really important for us about policing London is that it is the economic engine for the country, the reason people come here is because they feel safe, whether it is businesses or people who want to bring the kids up or people want to grow old here."

The RSA have called for "fundamental changes in the way London organizes its collective resources" in order to keep people who visit, live or work in the capital safe and secure.

Commissioned by the Metropolitan Police, the RSA consulted the Mayor's office for Policing and Crime, the NHS, parts of the criminal justice system and in total, 41 separate bodies before releasing the findings.

Met commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe

A group of the leading academics in policing and criminology also took part and 700 leaders in the Met were asked to identify the biggest issues facing them today and over the next five years.

Author of the findings Anthony Painter from the RSA said: "As resources are increasingly constrained, demands on the police are simultaneously becoming more complex.

"Headline crime figures which have been heading in a positive direction somewhat mask this reality.“

The RSA says the Met has been successful over the past 5 years in focusing on efficiency and reducing crime.

But an increasingly diverse population in the city and the need to keep up with new forms of crimes place the force under pressure to continually change.

The RSA also says that that 'adapting to these challenges isn't the responsibility of the Met alone'.

However, it also highlighted concerns amongst the Met’s partners that it might 'start to withdraw and retrench' under budget pressures.

The MPS has today issued an invitation to all those partners who took part in the consultation or who are responsible for public safety services in the capital to attend a ‘London Summit’ to discuss the impact of austerity.