I note with interest the response by Ken Livingstone and an unnamed police source in your article (Police top brass fury at politician s scaremongering , H&H January 26) and would welcome the opportunity to respond directly to accusations of scaremongeri

I note with interest the response by Ken Livingstone and an unnamed police source in your article (Police top brass fury at politician's 'scaremongering', H&H January 26) and would welcome the opportunity to respond directly to accusations of scaremongering.

Since when has pointing out factual information, contained within a report by the Metropolitan Police Authority and relevant to the people of Camden who elected me to be their Assembly representative been deemed to be scaremongering?

By making excuses for poor performance in Camden, the burning issue is not being addressed and officers, due to lack of management rather than effort, are not performing to their potential, as is my experience of other London boroughs.

In early 2006 my Conservative colleagues on the London Assembly undertook an analysis of detection rates (crimes solved). Our analysis showed that in the 2005/06 financial year, the average officer based within the London boroughs solved one crime per officer per month. In Camden the figure was 0.95. Making reference therefore to reductions in British Crime Survey offences of 14.3 per cent will not wash with the public, especially as these figures do not take into account crimes such as murder, rape, drug crimes, shoplifting or crimes against under 16s.

My message to senior officers in Camden is clear: concentrate on catching criminals, improve the lives of residents and then you will truly have a good news story to spin.

Brian Coleman AM

City Hall, The Queens Walk, SE1,