Great news. London residents can now get crime maps providing information on crime rates in their local areas from a Metropolitan Police website. This is a huge step forward in giving ordinary people the information they need to hold the police to account.
This service needs to be rolled out across the country and ordinary people should be given the power to hold the police to account through electing local police chiefs. In London the Mayor needs to be given the power to hire and fire the Metropolitan Police Commissioner.
Direct democratic control will mean that local people can hold the police to account for their performance in combatting crime, this will produce better results than bureaucrats and politicians trying to enforce distorting targets.