It has been a difficult few weeks for the Met, which now appears tempted to turn its back on reform. The Guardian Ian Blair must be wishing the boss would come back from holiday. The deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan police has had a miserable time since Sir John Stevens went on annual leave, with Scotland Yard hogging the late summer headlines for all the wrong reasons. First, the Notting Hill carnival story has run on. Two different cases, two very different stories, but there is a common theme.
Some officers fear conservative forces within the Met are beginning to hold sway.
There are many senior officers who think the discomfort Mr Blair is feeling is a small price to pay. The federation often says what Met commanders only dare to think, and there was considerable support for Glen Smyth, its chairman, when he launched into his carnival tirade last week. Although Mr Smyth is not one for subliminal messages, he missed his intended target. He was not berating the Met or blaming officers for the two murders. This year, it has been the carnival.