• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 14 March 2012

Four years when you were elected, Mayor, you inherited policing plans in a budget by your predecessor which saw police numbers rise to 33,404 in November of 2009. Since then, under your watch, police numbers have fallen, and as of last week, there were 2,155 officers fewer than there were at that high point. So it is not true to say, is it, that there is more uniforms present on the streets now? There are significantly fewer.

• Question by: Andrew Boff
• Meeting date: 14 March 2012

Andrew Boff (AM): I would like to have been a fly on the wall, Mr Mayor, on the eighth floor - if they are watching up there - amongst your team when the Chair described me as a sycophant! I would have been interested to see what they thought. Boris Johnson (Mayor of London): Did she call you a sycophant just now? Andrew Boff (AM): Yes. Boris Johnson (Mayor of London): It is no disgrace, by the way. It is a perfectly honourable calling in a politician! Andrew Boff (AM): Once again I disagree with you. It is a disgrace...

• Question by: Steve O'Connell
• Meeting date: 22 February 2012

It is absolutely vital we do recognise the fact that the police numbers are going up under your mayoralty, but my residents will be very concerned what we do with those numbers, as opposed to just a pure number count. I am reassured, particularly in one of my boroughs and I would like your support on this. In previous years I would go into part of the police station, it would be awash with back office staff doing probably very good things. Under leadership in local boroughs, under political leadership, I now go into that office and I see one...

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 22 February 2012

Mr Mayor, how are you using the increasingly visible police force on the ground to deter and deal with the problem of metal theft, which is a particular concern in my constituency?

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 22 February 2012

I just want to ask about the visible policing. The Annual London Survey last year stated that the number of people who feel they have seen more police on the streets in their neighbourhoods has fallen from 30% just before you were elected to just 16% last year, so people don't seem to be seeing that visibility. Can I also ask that your figures you have just given about numbers of trainees, is it not correct that the figures that you are relying on in your election pledge actually includes the 700 that are currently going to Hendon and will...

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 22 February 2012

Valerie Shawcross (AM): Thank you very much, Chair. I just briefly start by welcoming your U-turn on the issue of the Croydon Tramlink extension because you did cancel it in November 2008 and we are delighted to see that you have heeded the voice of South Londoners on this issue. Boris Johnson (Mayor of London): A U-turn? I have always supported that. I think you are wrong. Valerie Shawcross (AM): Are you actually happy to tell Londoners, then, that your management of the Underground is now efficient and effective in light of the fact that the previous Monday TfL were...

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 22 February 2012

Chair, I am pleased to be able to come in at this point, actually, when we are talking about Underground safety because I think, Mr Mayor, we should not unduly frighten Londoners with tales of safety problems on the Underground. There will always be things that we can do better. Under the last Mayor's reign in charge we had a derailment of a train of passengers at Bethnal Green and we had a derailment at Camden Town, so I think to suggest that safety has become worse over that period would be questionable.

• Question by: Gareth Bacon MP
• Meeting date: 22 February 2012

Just following on from that, for the avoidance of doubt, Mr Mayor, when Ms Shawcross says that it is not good enough for passengers to be forced to wait because of overrunning engineering works on various Tube lines, I think everyone would be inclined to agree with that. This is why it is for the avoidance of doubt - would it be improved if totally unfunded fare cuts were hammered through for political reasons?

• Question by: Steve O'Connell
• Meeting date: 22 February 2012

I think we would accept that gangs and a gang culture do not happen overnight. It needs time to germinate and to develop in our communities and I think it probably would be accepted around this group that perhaps eight or ten years ago a firmer grip was needed and it was not applied and we are reaping that harvest at the moment. What I would like to turn to, however, is the more complex effect on the social structure, particularly abuse of young women and young girls. You may well have seen only yesterday Yvonne Trainer [Chief Executive, Croydon...

• Question by: Kit Malthouse
• Meeting date: 22 February 2012

Mr Mayor, I just wanted to explore briefly this notion of police-generated crime. I know you are aware that almost 100% of what is classified as drug crime in the city is police-generated crime in terms of being a result of police action and therefore, presumably, you would welcome a rise in drug crime because that would be an indicator of an increase in police activity.