On not being impressed by the top brass of the Metropolitan Police

Even leaving aside the concerns about their closeness to News International, the recent appearances of the leadership of the Metropolitan Police before the Commons home affairs select committee were deeply uninspiring.

An anecdote once retailed by Lord Donoghue sprang to mind:

I am reminded that a senior detective inspector from Maidenhead once explained to me: "You have to understand that the root of this country's law and order problem is that our police are a lot thicker than the villains."