• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

I think it's absolutely right to provide a range of opportunities in terms of the telephone and to deal with the calls to 999 that aren't an emergency. That still doesn't answer the question of local answers for local people which is, if you go on the streets, what people want. Moving on now to having a policeman accessible when you need one, do you, as Chair of the MPA, believe that there must be somewhere locally where residents in an emergency situation can run to, where they know that they will be able to find a police officer.

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

Can I come back to your revolutionary suggestion about the revival of police boxes? And then you issued a press release on it. Don't you find it odd that the Budget Committee of the MPA, not one single officer from the MPS or the MPA said they'd been consulted about that idea; not one single officer on the Budget Committee had any calculation of the budgetary cost, either capital or revenue about the idea; or is that the way you, as Chairman of the MPA, intend to do business?

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

But that's a phone line, Toby, that no-one is there to answer. People have mobiles and then you said you're going to put phones at bus stops. That's all very welcome, but if there isn't someone there to answer it for sure, and if you can't get a response quickly, then it is useless, however many phones you provide.

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

Indeed, but there are a lot of front counters, as we know, that are not open, with volunteers or otherwise. Don't you think it's ridiculous that the public fund a huge service like the Metropolitan Police and actually can't reach them? You're saying they should, but they can't reach them when they need to. And if this was the case with doctors, there would be an absolute outcry. So, why are you not aiming for a structure that would provide that sort of local provision, the same as the Health Service, and would it not be right to create some...

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

Is there anyone actually doing a pilot on a non-emergency telephone line?

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

So, the Chair of the MPA, with respect, can therefore order reports on any matter he feels, at whatever time he feels, without consulting one single committee, or even the whole Authority of the MPA. It's a fascinating way to do business and it explains a lot of the problems we're having with policing in London.

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

Actually, I would take issue with that, because the suggestion of more phones is obviously a completely ridiculous suggestion if there's nowhere to answer it. So, are you aware of the difficulty that people are having contacting their local police stations, and that this is making people feel distant, that the police are distant and unobtainable. And rather the national pilot next year in terms of a shared number for non-emergency calls, would you agree to set up discussions with the Mayor about perhaps trying to influence the agenda, providing local answers for local people?

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

Did you know, Lord Harris, there's a very tight budgetary situation. You have asked somebody to prepare a report on possible extra spend, and we know nothing about it on the Finance Committee. Perhaps you'd better start telling your friend, Lord Tope, what you're planning to do next week.

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

Sorry, you don't know which officer is producing the report and you're Chairman of the MPA, and you're issuing these instructions.

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

Can I just ask at what stage you asked an officer to prepare a report? Was it after the press release? And who is the officer preparing the report and when will we see the report?