• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 18 November 2006

You make a very valid point, Mr Mayor. It is not when you are on the bus or on the Tube, it is actually when you get off them at the transport nodes there is some violence and even at bus-stops.

• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 18 November 2006

Did you get the same advice from the Commissioner of Police for the British Transport Police, or are you talking about the Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police?

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 18 November 2006

It is clear that PCSOs are just as effective as warranted police officers, so we are getting more officers as a result of the expenditure of TfL. Can you just also explain the extent of the funding we are also getting from the Home Office to match this initiative?

• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 18 November 2006

As I say, they are very welcome on the transport nodes across London. My one regret is it seems to be on the routes going in and out of London, as against the orbital routes. I would suggest that you actually look at it on a broader and more local need.

• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 18 November 2006

You could have afforded to employ warranted police officers that could arrest people. What made you go for PCSOs as against police officers who can arrest people?

• Question by: Sally Hamwee
• Meeting date: 18 November 2006

I think we are straying a bit.

• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 18 November 2006

There was a clear proposal, from ourselves, to increase this number from your reserves within Transport for London at the budget round. One gets the impression that if you have not thought of it, it is not a good idea.

• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 18 November 2006

Why now, Mr Mayor? Why not six months ago when you also had the money to do this?

• Question by: Geoff Pope
• Meeting date: 18 November 2006

You could not guarantee there will not be some confusion, but there is still a chance, at this early stage, to be quite clear on the rules of engagement. There have been two recent statements first of all from TfL saying that these PCSOs could be deployed to different parts of London on a weekly basis, so one wonders under what circumstances. Yet, we also had a statement on 5 October from the MPS which stated that the teams will be ring fenced from abstractions. So why is it you are allowing these two quite different views to predominate?

• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 18 November 2006

So we are clear there will be no confusion?