Community police teams are under strength by a third as new figures show officer numbers are already falling amid biting budget cuts.

New figures have revealed only two of Merton’s 20 safer neighbourhood teams are currently at full strength, with 44 out of a total 120 posts current vacant.

Jeff Hanna, a Labour councillor for Pollards Hill ward, Mitcham, criticised London’s mayor for cutting Merton police’s budget by 30 per cent by 2014 compared to its 2010 level.

Coun Hanna said: “It could well be that these are just temporary reductions in the teams while vacant posts are filled, but it is for the Merton police to answer that.

He added: “I make no criticism of [Merton’s new borough commander Darren Williams]. I am confident he will make the best use he can of the officers assigned to Merton, and I wish him all the best in his new role.

“Decision making is at a higher level, and is ultimately controlled by the Mayor of London.”

Cuts to policing has become a major campaign issue in this year’s election for London mayor, in which current mayor Boris Johnson (Conservative) is almost neck-and-neck in the polls with former mayor Ken Livingstone (Labour).

Mr Livingstone seized on a recent interview by Boris Johnson in which he admitted that 1,700 officers had been cut across London in the last two years.

He also pointed to figures from the Metropolitan Police Authority which showed Merton’s police numbers had fallen by six in Merton, from 372 to 366, between October and December 2011.

Mr Livingstone said: “If I am elected, I will reverse his cuts. And I will reinstate sergeants to all 600 Safer Neighbourhood Teams, more of which will be beefed up to a minimum of nine officers.

“At a time when violent crimes including robbery, knife crime and rape are all rising in London it’s time to reverse the Tory Mayor’s cuts to the police and make the streets of Merton and London safer.”

But neither City Hall, nor Mr Livingstone’s office, have been able to explain from where the 1,700 figure is taken.

A spokeswoman for the mayor’s office said: "The public are sick and tired of misleading claims about police officer numbers.

“The simple truth is that the mayor has successfully lobbied for £90 million of extra funds this year to ensure that the numbers of police on London's streets remain high for the foreseeable future.

“That includes every borough maintaining a strong safer neighbourhood team."

A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) said she could not comment on changes to Merton’s police force as the MPS had a “London-wide recruitment strategy”.

She said: “The MPS faces a significant financial challenge but we are absolutely committed to maintaining our operational capability.

“We are continually reviewing how to deploy our officers to provide the best possible service to Londoners.

“Officer numbers naturally fluctuate due to retirements and consideration must be given to the pause in recruitment which began in September 2009.

“However, since March 2011 we have been recruiting officers from serving Special Constables and PCSOs and are continuing to do so.

"We anticipate our officer strength to reach 32,320 by end of March 2012.”

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