• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 12 March 2008

I always thought it was Murad Qureshi who asked the patsy questions, not John Biggs, but as he approaches his dotage perhaps it is a new role for him! Mr Livingstone, you constantly talk about this increase in police numbers. At the MPA last week I asked the Commissioner and broadly had it confirmed that boroughs are operating at 95% of BWT (budgeted workforce target), which means in Hillingdon they are 22 police officers short, in Ealing about 30 and I understand in Lambeth it is, in round terms, 50. They also tell us, and you tell us, you have...

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 12 March 2008

It all sounds extremely iffy doesn't, Mr Mayor? Your 1,000 included the 300 posts we are talking about here which turn out only to be 97; 300 on counter terrorism and 267 on Olympics. On your description just now of not at the cutting edge on the streets I would suggest that virtually all your 1,000 - none of which are being met through your part of the budget, all of which are being funded either by government or by the London boroughs - is not going to be achieved.

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 12 March 2008

The bid was for 300. The basis of your 1,000 was on the assumption, a rather rash assumption, that we would get those 300. In fact we have barely a third of that 300. There is a shortfall of £29.2 million on that.

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 12 March 2008

So we have a commitment from you that if re-elected you will ensure that numbers of police officers will go up by 996 next year?

• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 12 March 2008

Perhaps they are acting as bodyguards for you. The reality from the Commissioner does not match up with what you are saying. Or indeed the borough commanders.

• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 12 March 2008

You promised 50%.

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 12 March 2008

Mr Mayor, we can sit here and lose everybody in the figures. I can tell you you are losing 202 officers in the reduction in management structures; you are losing another 323 through improvements to the criminal justice system, a net reduction of 525. We can baffle everybody with all of these figures. The reality is that your 1,000 that you were proclaiming first of all is being funded by government and by the London boroughs, not through you and, secondly, is now actually not going to be achieved because the Government is not supporting you in two thirds of...

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 12 March 2008

And that is only what those 300 officers were for? I did try to get to the bottom of what they were for; I have asked you twice I think and you did not have that information.

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 12 March 2008

Presumably if there was a bid for 300 security officers it was perceived that there would be a need for them and if you are only going to get 97, which is a possibility, can you assure us that the shortfall will not be made up from local police officers, ie that there will only be 97 extra used and not the 300 posts filled?

• Question by: Dee Doocey
• Meeting date: 12 March 2008

The difficulty is that every time this topic comes up you revert to form and you say, 'It's the boroughs; it's not me'. The fact is you are the Mayor of London. You surely should see your role not as beating the boroughs into submission and saying, 'You, you and you follow me' but your role ought to be to persuade and cajole. I have not seen any evidence at all of you working constructively with boroughs. I have not seen any carrots that you have suggested to boroughs. It is all been, 'You do as I say or else'...