• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 19 November 2003

What about the point about consulting with local communities?

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 19 November 2003

I am sure he will.

• Question by: Diana Johnson
• Meeting date: 19 November 2003

I am just wanting to press you a little further on this because there is this tension with the large number of new recruits coming into the police force and having those people on the frontline, dealing with the public on a day-to-day basis. I just wondered if you have any thoughts about providing additional support, perhaps that we have not had before, to make sure those officers are well supported in the early years.

• Question by: Diana Johnson
• Meeting date: 19 November 2003

I would like to ask a question about the practicalities of this scheme and it has certainly come to my attention that there is a shortage of sergeants in London, who would provide supervision for the officers and the PCSOs in the step-change programme. I just wondered what discussions you have had with stakeholders about how some of the problems with lack of sergeants could be addressed, through looking at changes to rank structures, for instance, about who is actually supervising officers?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 19 November 2003

That's a relief! Well that is a start.

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 19 November 2003

There was a move towards bigger, more centralised police stations though and we just have one opening in Lewisham and local police stations are closing as a result. Is that the wrong way forward or do you want to see super police stations for those super boroughs?

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 19 November 2003

If you wanted evidence that the localisation of policing is very effective, you will recall that you did a public meeting in Rotherhithe. In that area, following a local policing plan that was drawn up after that visit and the application of additional police resources and now some PCSOs, there has been a 25% reduction in crime and anti-social behaviour incidents reported. One of the problems that I think we face is there are many areas where there are hotspots of crime and anti-social behaviour, which cross the boundaries. You mentioned Crystal Palace earlier on with five boroughs. We have...

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 19 November 2003

John Stevens has said that he does not want to see any more local police stations closing. Do you think we actually need to re-open local police stations?

• Question by: Toby Harris
• Meeting date: 19 November 2003

Do you agree that this just demonstrates that, despite all their noisy rhetoric, both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives are in fact soft on crime?

• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 19 November 2003

I have always supported a national database for DNA and I believe that my party would as well, had there been a proper and full debate about it. But I believe that Lord Harris is being disingenuous and you are displaying a certain amount of ignorance this morning. It is the Criminal Justice Bill to start with, not the Crime and Disorder Bill. It was lost by 29 votes, the not contents were 130 and the contents were 101, so I am sure it could be brought back into the House of Commons where there is a majority of Socialists...