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Mayor 'should have say in appointing Met chief'
A new London mayor should be given a say over who is appointed commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Steve Norris has argued.
While at present the home secretary will make the final decision over who replaces Sir John Stevens in October, Steve Norris said he would have a mandate from five million electors to discuss the appointment if he is elected mayor.
In a speech to the Confederation of British Industry, Norris described the role of London mayor as "chief executive of London".
"Tackling crime is the mayor of London's most vital responsibility," he said.
"The appointment of the new commissioner will be the single most important decision that affects crime in the capital over the next four years.
"I need a commissioner who I can work with in partnership with so we can achieve in London what mayor Giuliani managed in New York."
"It's apparent that some people in the Metropolitan Police HQ are more concerned by how to give the best possible gloss on crime statistics," he added.
"As London's 'chief executive', the appointment of the person in charge of tackling the most important problem facing the capital has to be my first concern. I doubt that the matter has even crossed Ken Livingstone's mind yet."
However, his opponants argue that the comments mark a shift from his previous position, that the mayor should have full control over the appointment of a commissioner, who would stand down should the mayor lose an election.
Crime statistics
Norris went on to repeat his attack on the London mayor's record on crime.
"London is a world city and, if it is to continue to thrive, we must learn from our major rivals," he argued.
"In New York, they have found a way of actually cutting crime. There is a stark contrast between the performance of London under Livingstone and New York under Giuliani.
"In his first four-year term, Giuliani oversaw a 44 per cent reduction in total crime, with a 26 per cent fall in violent crime and a 47 per cent fall in robbery and burglary.
"In contrast, since Livingstone came to power, there has been a seven per cent rise in the total number of offences with a 16 per cent rise in violent crime.
"It is true that there has been some encouraging news over the last year in reducing burglary and robbery but violent crime has continued to rise relentlessly."
Liberal Democrat mayoral candidate Simon Hughes questioned Norris's response to the figures.
"London's new crime figures are not good news, either for the politicians in charge or for Londoners," he said.
"In a city where recorded violent crimes have gone up four per cent in the last year there is a huge amount of work still to be done.
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