The BBC informs us that police will now be available round the clock in west London.
To tell you the truth, we had assumed they already were available round the clock. But apparently not. That explains why there's that answering machine message we keep getting whenever we call for help:
"Hello, you stupid bastards. You've reached the Metropolitan police department. Our offices are currently closed. Please call back during normal business hours." … BEEEEP.
The recent stabbing murder of 16 year old Kodjo Yenga on March 14 in Hammersmith has been cited as proof that a greater police presence is necessary to protect the public.
Hammersmith & Fulham councillor Greg Smith boasts: "We are the first council in the UK to provide police with funding to put local patrols on the streets, day and night, every day of the year."
It's hard not to be a little unnerved by Greg's statement. It sounds a little too like: "We are the first airport to encourage our pilots to do safety checks before every single flight."
Greg went on to say "Residents want protection and they want it round the clock."
And we do. Still, Kodjo Yenga was killed in the evening, exactly when you expect most violent crime to happen. A 3AM patrol car probably would have done him little good. But don't look a gift cop in the mouth, we always say - when you're being murdered.
Kodjo Yenga appeared in an MTV interview not long before his death. Ironic, yes? He said: "I think stabbing has got worse but the media also make it bigger than what it is."
