IAN Blair was forced to resign as Britain's top policeman, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, overnight in a swift political coup at the top of Scotland Yard.

Boris Johnson, the Conservative Mayor of London, asked Sir Ian to go, hours after taking control of London's police authority.

I won't provide a link, it's big news in the UK, but I've always been totally opposed to any local government interference in the police force.

In the US some law enforcement positions are actually elected which seems a very weird way of doing it to me.

How can a police officer do his job if he owes his position to local government shakers and movers?

I think dear old Boris has been taking some lessons in political survival from another ex-political leader currently residing in London.

Don't know much about Ian Blair save what I've read recently plus vague memories of past gaffes of his but it seems he's no loss to the Met.

I also disagree with the notion that local government should have control of the police. Local government is comprised of largely unqualified local businessmen political wannabees. But police funding comes from the council charge (rates, poll tax, local taxes whatever you want to call it) and these local busy bodies just love to meddle.

Police forces should, like the armed forces, be under central government control so that there is a consistent level and quality of policing right across the country. All police forces should be operating under the same guidelines completely free of political meddling. But that's another dream.

The Met is in turmoil. The rather unpleasant chap who is suing the Met for his lack of promotion based on race, recently came out to see the security arrangements in Hong Kong for the Olympics. Fair enough you would think.............Well yes, but he returned with the same group of cronies ( staying in class hotels and taken on many " shopping " tours ) some weeks later on the pretext of seeing said arrangements for the para-Olympics.

Same venue exactly the same arrangements, massive cost to the tax payer. Even some of his entourage were so disgusted they would not speak to him.