Role of gardaí amounts to much more than a debate about numbers

EACH year the BBC broadcasts a televised lecture in memory of the legendary broadcaster Richard Dimbleby which gives a prominent person the opportunity to speak to the nation on an issue of their own choosing.

This year it was the commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police, Sir Ian Blair, who was invited to make an address from the Dimbleby podium and, not surprisingly, his chosen topic was policing.

The main focus of Blair’s lecture was a call for a reasonable debate about what kind of police Britain wants. He argued that there is little thought-through, public examination of just what it is the public wants from its police force in the 21st century.