Livingstone pledges increase in police numbers

Ken Livingstone is to pledge a further increase in the number of police in London if he wins re-election as the capital's Mayor next month.

Ken Livingstone is to pledge a further increase in the number of police in London if he wins re-election as the capital's Mayor next month.

Since he won the job four years ago, police levels in London have risen from 25,400 to just over 30,000.

A section of his manifesto says: "Over the next four years we will work with the Government to continue to increase police numbers in London and expand the number of police community support officers. We will also free police officers for front-line duty by wherever appropriate using civilian staff for backroom posts."

Mr Livingstone's aides said he would make police manpower a "dividing line" with his Tory opponent Steve Norris who, they said, had refused to make a commitment to boost police numbers.

The Mayor would also extend a scheme in which teams of six dedicated officers are put into neighbourhoods to get to know local people. His manifesto, to be published shortly, promises to crack down on "hate crime" and back the Metropolitan Police's moves to achieve a target of 30 per cent of officers coming from ethnic minorities and 25 per cent to be women.

Yesterday Mr Norris, who is running second to Mr Livingstone in the opinion polls, predicted that a huge swing against Tony Blair and the unpopularity of the Iraq war would ensure his victory over Mr Livingstone in the 10 June election.