Norris: I would not reappoint Met chief

Steve Norris today launched an extraordinary attack on Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens over London's rising crime rate.

In a move that will provoke a fury at Scotland Yard, the Tory candidate said that if he became mayor he would not reappoint the Met chief when his contract came up for renewal later this year. Sir John is expected to stand down in September, but Mr Norris suggested he would remove him from important decisions if he won on 10 June.

Tory aides said Sir John would perform "ceremonial tasks" until he retired, while his replacement would work closely with the new mayor "from day one". Mr Norris confirmed his views to the Evening Standard after a leaked memo revealed the depths of his dissatisfaction with Britain's top policeman.

The memo, from Mr Norris to his campaign manager Mark MacGregor, outlined proposals to hire former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani as a consultant to help reorganise the Met.

In the document, Mr Mac-Gregor states: "It is absolutely clear that Sir John has

little sympathy with the modernising agenda you want to introduce". He suggests looking outside London to recruit a new Met Police chief.

In response Mr Norris wrote: "We do not want to have a monthly battle with the commissioner every time the crime figures come out, reducing fear of crime would require us to take a completely different approach and to speak with one voice. We must make clear that nothing (and no single individual however senior) be allowed to get in the way.

"I like John a lot but he's canny and he will drag feet as much he can in the time he's got. I've only got four years and I don't want an outgoing commissioner eating in to that time."

When the Evening Standard asked Mr Norris to clarify his memo, he said: "The past four years have simply not delivered the crime reduction we need. I admire Sir John but I think it's time for a change.

"I believe a new commissioner and a new mayor will bring in new ideas and provide a leadership that will help reduce crime."

Mr Norris's personal attack on Sir John will raise questions over his relations with the Met hierarchy. At a police federation hustings six weeks ago, Mr Norris said violent crime had risen consistently over the past four years, prompting the Met chief to retort: "I'm not going to sit here and listen to those figures".

Sir John has warned all the mayoral candidates not to "misinterpret" crime statistics for the capital.