The last Metropolitan police commissioner to resign, James Munro, did so in 1890 after failing to apprehend Jack the Ripper. Sir Ian Blair's departure may not be the result of so egregious an oversight, yet the reasons behind it have inspired much debate on Fleet Street. The Times is in no doubt that Mr Blair's resignation is the result of a "Tory coup" engineered by the Mayor. The Guardian agrees, and even has Boris......

In a bid to tackle Britain’s knife crime problem, a pilot scheme under which the number of forms filled in by police for ‘stop and account’ is cut by 80% will be extended to cover 10 notorious knife crime zones, including London. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said this was intended to “allow police to focus on the most serious crime and local issues” but it doesn’t take a great deal of imagination to see......

Now Londonist loves nothing more than to lambast the more-often-than-not witless or unwitting honourable members for London, whatever hue they be. But occasionally it behoves us to buck the trend and defend them. Today it seems to be Harriet Harman’s turn for a ribbing. Her scandalous action? A walk around Peckham/Camberwell sporting a stab-proof vest. Ah, but this dame is no Jacqui Smith, she of the chauffeur-driven kebab. Ms. Harman was on the beat with......

It's not quite the same as having the local bobby back on the beat, but a scheme trialled in south London that addresses public unease with the remote, impersonal nature of modern policing is set to be rolled out across London. The £325 million Home Office plan will see each council ward assigned a team of police and community support officers, with residents given a mobile phone number and email address to contact their......

Hackney wasn't very happy that Jacqui Smith singled it out as an unsafe place to walk alone, late at night. We sympathise with Ms Smith as it's not our favourite place to hoik it home from in the small hours but it was bad press nonetheless. Spotting an opportunity to be a local hero, MP, Diane Abbott, bounced back for the borough and organised a late night stroll round the mean streets of Hackney,......

You wouldn’t think Jacqui Smith scares easily. In her time as Home Secretary she’s dealt with car bombs and blazing jeeps, and she’s lately been facing down a bunch of mightily annoyed cops. But in an interview appearing today in the Sunday Times, Jacqui revealed that she wouldn’t dare walk down a London street alone at night. Would she feel safe walking alone at night in, say, Hackney, east London? She looks alarmed: “No.......

This weekend column is brought to you by the founders of Niceties Tokens, Liz and Pete of Team Nice. 10. Integrity So about Jacqui Smith and the… erm… ‘crazy drug fuelled youth of half the cabinet’. Don’t you just cringe when politicians are backed in to a corner and have to squirm? Then they go back, have a meeting with the rest of the cabinet to orchestrate their best response. So it would seem......