MP praises over-stretched local police

Edward Davey MP met the new Met Police Commissioner, Sir John Stevens, to press for more police resources for the Kingston area.

Mr.Davey told London's police chief that while Kingston police had been particularly successful in reducing burglaries, Kingston "had a growing problem with vandalism and graffiti". Kingston urgently needed more police officers, the MP said.

Mr.Davey discussed with Sir John Stevens the difficulty in recruiting officers to the Met. This dates back to the 1994 abolition of the London housing allowance for new officers by the last Conservative Government.