Speeches by Johnson.

“Thank you very much for that question. I would like to come to that in a moment, but before I do, I did want to say I am very pleased to appear before you today. I am really delighted that you are doing this inquiry because I think parliamentary scrutiny of the events of last summer is very important, sitting alongside…”

“The Home Secretary has been very clear that she is looking at that. We are currently having discussions and conversations with football in particular, but we have also made it very clear that if those conversations do not result in some clear action and some clear agreements around funding, then we will move to legisla…”

“That is obviously a very big issue. As London MPs, I know you will be particularly concerned about that. Matt Twist would say to me, when I have asked him questions about this in the past, that because of London and the number of protests that are held in London, particularly over the last couple of years, there has be…”

“You are absolutely right. Trust and confidence in policing is one of the key parts of our Safer Streets mission. One aspect of that—an important one—is the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. It is about putting those police officers, PCSOs and specials back into our neighbourhoods, our high streets and our communities, …”

“The Home Secretary set out that we are going to have a White Paper this year setting out a reform agenda. That is about looking at what we need for policing going forward. Our policing structures often are from quite a few decades ago. I just look, for example, at the national aviation capability for policing. You have…”

“Thank you very much for that question. I would like to come to that in a moment, but before I do, I did want to say I am very pleased to appear before you today. I am really delighted that you are doing this inquiry because I think parliamentary scrutiny of the events of last summer is very important, sitting alongside…”

“I think the experience of that period from 29 July through to the middle of August shone a very clear light on where there were gaps, where there were problems and where there were structures that did not work as effectively as we wanted them to. That was a very steep learning curve as a new Policing Minister, and it c…”

“The way policing is set up in this country is very much about the operational independence of the chief constables of the forces. They decide on how they use their resources and the tactics that they employ. I do think there is a role, as we have already discussed, for Ministers and the Home Office to have more of a gr…”

“I certainly think there is more that could be done in terms of communications and explanation of what is going on. Yes, I agree with you on that. There have been examples, and I go back to the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign protests. I think initially when those protests happened, particularly the Metropolitan Police …”

“I am not sure I would say that the police do not have honest conversations with the public. Policing is complicated and complex.”

“There is, but I think that is different. Protest is a very important part of our constitutional right to express ourselves, if we wish to, in peaceful protest. That is not something we have looked at because we recognise that people should be able to protest, but you are right that in the last few years, particularly i…”

“The Government are determined to act to ensure that people feel safe on our streets. On 6 February the Home Secretary brought together law enforcement agencies and representatives of the mobile phone industry to discuss what more could be done to break the business model of mobile phone theft, and to bring about strong…”

“My hon. Friend makes an important point. Our commitment to neighbourhood policing and putting the police officers, police community support officers and special constables back into our neighbourhoods—into our communities, high streets and town centres—will enable the police to take the action we all want to see agains…”

“I visited Bedfordshire police before Christmas, and I agree that it is an excellent force. Decisions around funding will be made in due course.”

“The abuse of animals using weapons of any type is an incredibly serious matter, and there are such provisions in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006. There is a range of offences, and I encourage anyone who witnesses this kind of event to report …”

“I am very sorry to hear about the incident to which my hon. Friend refers. She will know that we have a commitment to halve knife crime over the next decade. We have already introduced the ban on zombie knives and machetes, and we are moving forward with the ban on ninja swords. Last week, the Home Secretary announced …”

“While there is a concentration of phone thefts in the Metropolitan police area in particular, it is important to note that they are happening around the country, and it is being suggested that the good practice used by those who are starting to tackle the problem, notably the West Midlands police force, should be sprea…”

“The hon. Gentleman is right: I am going to say that the funding formula was introduced by the previous Government—I think in 2011. They had two goes at trying to update it, and they did not do anything about it. We have been in government for seven months now, and this is what we have inherited. In a lot of areas, we h…”

“Yes, and my hon. Friend raises an important point about those small parts of larger rural communities and how they can feel that our neighbourhood policing guarantee will provide them with reassurance. There is the named officer guarantee, and it is worth recognising the use of things such as WhatsApp groups in big rur…”

“The Government are committed to tackling rural crime. We recognise the devastating consequences it can have on communities and the agricultural sector. Under our reforms, rural areas will be safeguarded through tougher measures to clamp down on antisocial behaviour, to strengthen neighbourhood policing and to take acti…”