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Policing in London

That has not been done; there is no sense in which the stop and search form is a paperless transaction. If the Minister thinks that it is, he should get out more. My hon. Friend the Member for Henley is putting forward that policy as a practical way to cut red tape and to get more police back on the beat in London. It is also fair to say something about PCSOs, for whom we see a strong role. It is regrettable hat the Government ditched their 2005 goal to recruit 6,389 new PCSOs in London. The figure will be about 5,562, lower than what the Government promised—another broken Labour promise. Another really important point for all Londoners listening to this debate is that Sir Ronnie Flanagan, in his independent review of policing, said something with great applicability to London:"““maintaining police numbers at their current level is not sustainable over the course of the next three years… we would not be making the most effective use of the resources dedicated to the police if police officer numbers were sustained at their current level.””" Do the Minister and his London colleagues agree with that? Does the Minister think police officer numbers in London are unsustainable in London over the next three years? Let us hear about that. If we want visible policing on the streets of London, we need to know the Government's intentions on police strength: more, fewer or about the same? Flanagan says the numbers have to be cut; what does the Minister think?