by John Kennedy

With Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffuar on gardening leave and the Commissioner Sir Ian Blair struggling to hold on to the top job in Policing maybe it's time for the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and the Metropolitan Police Authority ( MPA.) to sack them both and restructure the Police Service in London.

The Metropolitan Police Service carries out certain duties that have a national role like counter terrorism, special branch, diplomatic, close protection of the Royal family and Politicians. Now a few years ago the National Crime Squad and the National Criminal Intelligence Service were merged to form the Serious Organised Crime Agency ( SOCA.) so surely it would make more sense to hive off these national roles to a organisation like this. Londoners would then be able to have democratic control of the Police Service they meet on a day to day basis through the Mayor of London and the MPA, allowing the Commissioner of Police to concentrate on priorities that matter to Londoners. The Home Secretary could retain control of the priorities that matter to the nation via SOCA or a similar national Policing body or why not even consider enlarging the City of London Police Service and give it the command and control structure to take on a enlarged national role. In fact with its role in investigating fraud and with money laundering closely linked to terrorism and the financial markets this could make perfect sense.

But why the need for change, well part of the problem with the role of the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police is that the job carries too much responsibility and therefore too much kudos, it is rightly seen has the top Policing job in the UK and here is where the trouble lies, over recent years the job has become too politicised and we tend to hear too much from the Commissioner. The job should be about results, removing the fear of crime from all sections of society by deterring crime from taking place with proper high level Policing day and night. Londoners deserve a hard working cop who can command his or her officers without the fear of recrimination by assistant commissioners or commanders, a copper who commands the respect of the rank and file.

Boris Johnson the Mayor of London is right to be concerned of the breakdown in authority at the highest level in London's Police Service and now the time is right to give London's Mayor the authority and control of a restructured but focused Metropolitan Police Service.