Harrow has the highest rate of vacancies for police officers in the whole of London according to the latest figures.

The numbers collected by Labour London Assembly Member Joanne McCartney show for May this year there were a total of 1,209 vacancies for police sergeants and constables across the whole of London.

Harrow has the highest percentage of vacancies out of any London borough with 15 per cent of sergeant and constable posts unfilled.

Labour parliamentary candidate for Harrow East Uma Kumaran has raised concerns about the level of vacancies.

She said: “These figures are deeply worrying and highlight a significant shortfall in the number of police officers on our streets in Harrow.

“It is simple unacceptable that this many positions are being left unfilled.

“The Mayor of London should be spending less time focusing on his Parliamentary ambitions and more on ensuring we have enough police to keep London safe.”

London Assembly Member Joanne McCartney said the vacancies were leaving a “gaping hole at the heart of the Met.”

A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police said: “Whilst these figures released in May provided a snapshot at that time, much has changed since then and the position is positive.

“At the end of August 2014, the number of police officers in the capital was 31,200, and overall officer strength continues to grow each month.

“Our target is to grow officer strength back to 32,000 by 2015/16, and we are on track to do just that.

“This is despite a significant reduction in the Met's overall budget and is only possible due to the ambitious change programmes which are currently being implemented across the Met, driving efficiency and cost reductions in non-front line roles.”

She added: “We did not plan for, nor could we have afforded, 32,000 officers throughout the year; so it is simply inaccurate to suggest we are running with high vacancies against our budget.”