Lack of charging points for electric police cars could give criminals an easy escape

CRIMINALS could flee cops more easily in future as it is feared there are too few charging points for electric police cars.

And a row erupted last night after it emerged officers may share chargers with taxis as more of their fleet goes green.

Police papers show cops in the capital need 600 more charging points over the next five years.

But 70 of London’s 300 rapid charging points are reserved for cabbies.

The Met is “pursuing opportunities with Transport for London” for officers to use those too, the documents reveal.

Cabbies’ general secretary Steve McNamara stormed: “Rapid charging points are already in alarmingly short supply.”

Scotland Yard fears £6.5million they will spend on charging points for their e-cars to patrol London is not enough.

Steve McNamara, General Secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA), said: "Rapid charging points are already in alarmingly short supply across the capital and the LTDA has consistently highlighted the need for more taxi-only rapid charging points to encourage further take-up of electric taxis.

"If implemented, this proposal would put the dedicated points we do have under huge pressure.

"It is simply not practical to have taxis sitting waiting for a police van to charge losing fares or indeed a squad car waiting behind a queue of cabs, when they should be out catching criminals."

He added: "If the Mayor is serious about reducing emissions from surface transport and making fleets zero emission, he can’t simply mandate that more and more organisations make the switch, without providing access to additional charging points to ensuring using these electric vehicles is actually viable."

The Labour Mayor wants the Met’s fleet to be emissions-free by 2050.

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