§ 47. Sir Anthony Royleasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will hold discussions with the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis on what steps to take immediately to deal with the vandalism and lawlessness in Greater London, and, in particular, in the area of Ham.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesI regularly hold discussions with the commissioner on matters affecting the policing of the Metropolitan Police district, without in any way affecting his responsibility for action taken by the Metropolitan Police to deal with crime. As my recent national conference on vandalism showed, the problem of vandalism is not only a matter for the police, but also for local authorities and voluntary bodies. Consequently, the police are ready to join with other local bodies to deal with outbreaks of vandalism where they occur, and to develop contact with the community so that local problems and action to deal with them can be discussed by all concerned. If the hon. Member has some specific police action in mind to deal with events in Ham I suggest that he puts it to the commissioner, or the commander of T ' Division of the Metropolitan Police.