Mayor Johnson On Met Chief (Again)

He's told the Times:

“I’ve got a bigger personal mandate than any British politician in history...more than a million votes when you count second preferences. Londoners in four years’ time are going to hold me to account for crime, for the safety of their streets. They’re going to hold me to account for whether buses feel safer again and whether the Tubes feel safer again and whether we’ve done anything to tackle knife crime. In those circumstances, I think it’s only right that there should be a considerable measure of democratic control and accountability for the police chief.”

Sir Ian, I suppose, would argue that a "considerable measure" already exists. A thought: is Mayor Johnson starting to feel the full weight of public expectation about his anti-crime strategy?

Comments

[Tom]

Boris is talking serious balls here - he's on record a couple of months ago welcoming the reductions in crime on buses, tubes and DLR in the months *before* his election. He can therefore neither claim credit for it reducing nor claim that the system was unsafe when he took over. He's actually talking about *fear* of crime as expressed by the suburban Tories who elected him, not the reality of a safe and improving network. Bad sign for the future, really.

[Also, policing the Tube is the BTP's responsibility, under a gentleman called Chief Superintendent Miles Flood. Nothing to do with Sir Ian. Is Boris going to demand democratic control over that, too?]

[Paul]

I think if Boris wants easily scared people to feel safer in London he needs to show up the hysterical 'if it bleeds it leads' 'crime is going up and up' media outlets, not the police.

Sure, report crime (in my book not enough is reported, the media is very selective), but to then go on and sensationalise it and use it as a fulcrum to lever your outlet's political leanings (or that of your chosen pet politician) is taking it too far IMO.

It's a shame because Boris' facts and figures behaviour at the select committee was very welcome, it'll be really sad if he slips back into bordering on BNP style rhetoric.