People don't want mega-constabularies. They want Dixon of Dock Green back
Once heavy-handed policing was not thought necessary because London was a pretty law-abiding place. But no longer. Figures show that Oxford Street and neighbouring thoroughfares in London's West End are preyed on by gangs of uncertain origin, often on motorbikes and illegal scooters. On just a few streets last year, there were 10,000 robberies.
So why is the Met not swamping the area with bobbies to stop it happening and make arrests when it does? The broadcaster Selina Scott recounted recently how she was attacked and robbed in Piccadilly in broad daylight. She walked up and down looking for a police officer, but could not find one.
Instead of fretting about the size of constabularies, Sir Mark – and Sir Sadiq Khan, the Mayor – should address the serious crisis happening under their noses that has nothing to do with the size of the force and everything to do with the choices being made.
The first principle of policing, after all, is the prevention of crime. There is no point turning up en masse once trouble has broken out when it can be stopped in the first place
The time has come for another Royal Commission, only this time one that is not hijacked by the Home Office or police chiefs trying to build an empire. It would ask where policing has lost its way and propose how best to revive the connection with a public that has lost faith in what used to be a cherished institution.
There is always a danger of mythologising the past. The world has moved on from the time of George Dixon, and even then the depiction of avuncular policing was cosily naive. We know there are many other demands on today's officers, many of whom are expected to become glorified social workers or data surfers.
But one thing, above all, that the people who pay for them consistently say they wish to see is more uniformed bobbies on the streets. They want front-line policing to be a priority. So why isn't it?
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