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Policing in London

There may be less between the Minister and myself than I thought, but the fact is that councillors should have the right to be there, as they have a democratic mandate. I am a little concerned by the guidance produced by the Metropolitan Police Service on the setting up of safer neighbourhood panels, which appeared at times almost to discourage councillors or keep them at arm’s length. I hope that the Minister will make sure that the message is sent out to the Met that that is not the way to deal with the issue. If we link our police officers in with the community and its democratic representatives, that can only be to everybody’s advantage. On that note, I shall conclude, but I hope that the Minister will be able to pick up some of the points that I have made.