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London police HQ Scotland Yard set to be sold in cost-cutting move

Cost-cutting plans will see London police move to smaller base - but take iconic sign with them

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The iconic sign outside Scotland Yard's current base. Photo: AP

Scotland Yard has fallen victim to the economic slump and plans to sell off its famous office tower with the iconic revolving sign outside.

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The well-known landmark has been seen in countless cutaway movie shots and tourist photo albums.

But London's crimefighters are now hoping to move into new digs in a smaller building around the corner to save money.

Times are tough in Britain, which is undergoing its most brutal spending cuts in a generation. And the capital's famous bobbies have not been spared.

The Yard - also known as the Met, short for Metropolitan Police Service - is trying to slash US$800 million from its budget over the next 2-1/2 years.

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That has meant looking at selling the family silver, or in this case, some of the force's large property holdings - stations, operation centres and the like.

The current headquarters, which the Yard has occupied since 1967, costs nearly US$18 million a year to maintain and is in need of a US$80 million upgrade, making it an "expensive luxury," Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey said. He acknowledged the iconic value of the site, but said policing came first.

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