THE Guardian’s reports of leading councillors’ call for more police officers in Waltham Forest led to a bizarre situation this week.

A letter signed by council leader Chris Robbins and community safety portfolio holder Cllr Afzal Akram announced their intention to lobby Scotland Yard big-wigs in an attempt to redress a perceived shortfall in police numbers.

It is difficult to criticise the move. More bobbies in the beat is often cited as a panacea for the ever-worsening problem of rising crime and community anxiety about the safety of the borough’s streets. But there are many who believe that simply increasing police numbers will have limited impact and it is deep-rooted, social problems which need to be addressed to make a lasting difference.

In response to news of the move by Cllrs Robbins and Akram, the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA), the body which approves policing levels in London, issued a statement saying it had not received requests for extra officers in Waltham Forest.

It added the rather ambigious claim that the borough “is at the number of police officers it is required to have”.

In response, borough commander Mark Benbow took a break from his holiday to cry foul, saying he, in fact, had asked for extra officers.

When challenged on this, the MPA passed the proverbial buck, insisting the information had come from the Met.

The Met then did something similar by saying Chief Supt Benbow had expressed a personal view and refused to comment further.

The truth, as this week’s page three article on UFO reports suggests, is out there.