Londoners not happy with response to crime

London: More than half of Londoners think the police do not spend enough time tackling burglaries, muggings and yobbish behaviour, according to an opinion poll published on Monday.

The Mori survey for the BBC reveals qualified backing for Met Commissioner Sir Ian Blair.

Sixty-five per cent say they were not satisfied with the police response to anti-social behaviour but, more positively, 63 per cent say their local policing is either good or very good and 49 per cent say they are happy with police priorities. Three out of four say they believe that Met officers do either a "fairly good" or "very good" job.

The findings will be broadcast today in a special report on the Met by the BBC's Inside Out London programme.

It shows footage of apparent drug deals taking place in a Camden street, yards from a police car, and features a bag-snatch victim complaining that it is pointless reporting the crime. A Hampstead resident is shown complaining about plans to close a local police station.

The documentary is presented by Steve Norris, the former Tory minister and mayoral candidate, who claims the Met's confidence that crime is falling fails to convince much of the public.

He said: "The Met claim they are listening but I think the police underestimate how disillusioned many Londoners feel. Many feel that the Met are too focused on the big picture and can't be bothered to tackle the sort of low-level crime that matters to ordinary Londoners."

The programme contrasts London with Los Angeles, where the police chief Bill Bratton has cut crime with "zero tolerance" policing that he pioneered in New York.

The documentary says the Met is responding but suggests further action is needed.