Speaking of Policemen...

Those of us who frequent the streets of London have noticed that the cars driven by Met officers have taken a leap up market. Now that Ford and Vauxhall have given up on big cars, and now that all tenders for public sector purchasing must go out EU-wide, the Met's finest can be seen in 5-series BMWs,Mercedes and Volvos.

I hope that this has an effect on recruiting - there's a lot more street-cred in a Merc or a Beemer than in some lesser wheels.

Even at the lowest level (the Astras) at least the Met get petrol versions. The Thames Valley coppers have the same cars, but they are diesels. My dear! How outré!