• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 14 September 2005

Probably all of us with experience of Safer Neighbourhood Teams would accept that the single most important component of them is the sergeant, and they succeed or fail largely on the personal qualities of the sergeant in the Safer Neighbourhood Team. Have you discussed with the Commissioner how confident he is that in the accelerated roll out, they will be able to recruit and train the right sort of sergeant, if I can use that expression? There are some very good sergeants who are very good, but just not personally suited to leading a Safer Neighbourhood Team. Can we be...

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 14 September 2005

One other thing: I wonder if you have been able to establish this with Sir Ian (Blair). Do we understand that no police officers currently on frontline duties will be moved into the Safer Neighbourhood Teams?

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 14 September 2005

Can I draw us back, Chair and Mayor, to the rather less philosophical world of the Safer Neighbourhood Teams, and just point out, Mr Mayor, you allowed yourself to be led by the Conservative group into talking only about the roll out of PCSOs. We are actually talking about the roll out of Safer Neighbourhood Teams, and the standard Safer Neighbourhood Team includes two PCs, not one, as Bob Neill was saying. Any variation is and ought to be a matter for the Borough Commander. Did I understand you, though, to say in your answers to Richard Barnes not only...

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 14 September 2005

Have your plans for a low-emission zone been affected by the current fuel shortages?

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 14 September 2005

I absolutely welcome that things are moving. What I do not understand is what has changed now, compared to last year and the year before and all the feasibility studies. Have you just given up on the Government, then?

• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 14 September 2005

In fact, the current Commissioner (Sir Ian Blair) said that this service review was to identify £300 million for redeployment once he had taken over. Last Thursday, at the same time you made this announcement, you also said £150 million had been identified for, I assume, redeployment. How much of that are you going to use for PCSOs?

• Question by: Sally Hamwee
• Meeting date: 14 September 2005

I am sorry that such an announcement is dependent on the availability of a photo opportunity, but I have been asking questions regularly about the process.

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 14 September 2005

We will look at the details when they come, but roughly, when can we expect some action? How many more years?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 14 September 2005

Can you confirm that the roll out of PCSOs will continue to be on the basis of one sergeant, one police constable (PC), and three PCSOs for all neighbourhood teams for the whole roll out?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 14 September 2005

Is there not the danger of the perception that people will think that there is an ongoing and continuing cosiness between your office and some of these outside organisations with which they have a variety of contacts, and that you should be extra careful under those circumstances?