London, October 12 (RHC)-- Metropolitan police have announced that it will end its 24-hour surveillance of the Ecuadorean embassy in London where Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been living for the past 28 months.

Scotland Yard says that it has decided to withdraw the physical presence of officers outside the embassy as it is “no longer proportionate.” But, in a statement on Monday, the British police said: “The operation to arrest Julian Assange does, however, continue and should he leave the Embassy the [Metropolitan police] will make every effort to arrest him.” The British police say they will instead use “overt and covert tactics” to detain Assange.

“The MPS will not discuss what form its continuing operation will take or the resourcing implications surrounding it…Whilst no tactics guarantee success in the event of Julian Assange leaving the embassy, the MPS will deploy a number of overt and covert tactics to arrest him,” the statement said.

Back in June 2012, Assange sought political asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy in London in an effort to avert extradition to Sweden.

According to figures published earlier this year, the 24 hour guarding of the embassy has already cost the Metropolitan Police more than £11 million.