Ken demands control of police

Ken Livingstone has demanded New York-style policing powers to appoint the Commissioner and set the Met's priorities.

In a massive grab for power, the Mayor calls for changes which would allow him to spearhead a war on bureaucracy and insist upon high visibility policing to combat London's crimewave.

His comments directly confront the Government, which created the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) less than two years ago. It will also spark a huge row within the London Assembly and may prompt concern among rank-and-file officers, many of whom are suspicious of Mr Livingstone and his advisers.

However, Mr Livingstone now sees policing and Londoners' growing fear of crime, as an issue which will allow him to make his mark.

Writing in the Evening Standard to mark the announcement that Hendon Police Training College is now full with 1,000 new recruits, the Mayor says: " The £2 million Metropolitan Police Authority bureaucracy should be abolished, with the directly-elected London Assembly taking on the role of scrutiny of the police. With the advice of a small committee-of specialists and community and business representatives, the Mayor should take over the power to appoint the Police Commissioner and all senior officers, set the budget and decide clear and specific targets for crime reduction."

He says New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani slashed crime by 60 per cent in New York because he had more power.

Mr Livingstone says: "Here, the Home Secretary, the Mayor, the London Assembly and the Metropolitan Police Authority all have their say on policing. As a result, no one person is indisputably accountable or responsible."

Citing the budget process, the Mayor complains: "The amount proposed by the Mayor can be changed by the London Assembly, the MPA can move the cash around, and the Police Commissioner can ignore all of these deliberations and spend the money how he likes."

The Mayor says the weakness in the system has been apparent since the terrorist attacks in New York. He says: "Since 11 September many police officers have been taken off normal duties and switched to anti-terrorism work in central London, resulting in a surge in street crime."

Lord Harris of Haringey, MPA chairman, hit back today. He said: "This completely goes against the spirit of local community involvement and the tradition of not having too much political interference in policing."

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