Tories to slash 455 police officers and cut £16million from police force budget

I don't ever recall during the 2008 London Mayoral election campaign Boris Johnson pledging police cuts, in fact if anything, completely the opposite and yet this week as the Met police budgets were set, Boris is slashing police numbers.

Cameron's Conservative London Mayor, Boris John will slash 455 police officers across London and cut a massive £16million from the Metropolitan Police budget.

Boris Johnson has also refused to guarantee the future size of the successful Safer Neighbourhood Policing Teams, which are dedicated to each neighbourhood in London Boroughs.

Cameron's Conservative Mayor, Boris Johnson said: "I have no intention of imposing a one-size-fits-all model across the whole of London."

Now, I have some sympathy with this, however the size of the Safer Neighbourhood Teams currently are is the absolute minimum they must be, his only option to stop the one size fits all is to increase the size of the teams in problem areas.

In fact I have heard that before, because, yes that's right, that is exactly what the Liberal Democrats London Mayoral candidate, Brian Paddick was pledging during the Mayoral election.

London's policing does not need cuts, it needs investment.

The last word goes to London Liberal Democrat Assembly policing spokesman Dee Doocey who said:

"The mayor's decision to cut £16m from the police budget, to cut 455 police officers, and to reduce all borough police budgets, is a slap in the face to Londoners."

Boris Johnson and the £250,000 chicken feed

Boris Johnson is soooooo out of touch with the people he represents, or sort of represents.

I still retain a small interest in London as I ran Brian Paddick's Mayoral campaign for the Liberal Democrats, and am still angered by some of the silly claims made by others during that election.

Now we have a Mayor who thinks £250,000 per year is chicken feed, get a grip Boris, for crying out loud, get yourself out of City Hall and go and visit some of the voters in the inner London Boroughs (not the Tory Boroughs) who earn around £16,000 per year - it would take them over 15 years to mass that kind of money. I appreciate that you give some of it to charity - whooppee whoo.

I give a decent percentage of my salary to charity too Boris, but I don't crow about it.

You have to read this great story by The Guardian, to actually appreciate the Mayor's sheer arrogance and also how out of touch he is not only with his Party Leader but more importantly the great number of Londoners who don't earn £140,000 a year with additional earnings of £250,000 for writing a few words on paper!

42 days to go.......

First a Happy New Year to both my blog readers, lets hope this year my readership grows.

Yes, it is just 42 days to go or P-42, until I am no longer 39 - enough said, not enough therapy as yet.

Brian Paddick has had another great interview read or listen here. Ken, you have a fight on your hands this time, okay not between you and the Conservatives this time but in fact from the Liberal Democrats. Boris will trip up, he always does, and to be hoest shouldn't he be busy anyway as the MP for Henley, a full time job if being done properly - I should know, I have workrd for three extremely hard working MPs, Vince Cable, Simon Hughes and Lynne Featherstone.

So, on May 1st Londoners will have a choice of people for Mayor, Brian Paddick, who is serious about London and Londoners or Ken who has had 8 years of tax rises and the largest number of spin doctors - including more than Downing Street itself - what an achievement Ken!