crime and disorder. Then after 2010 Theresa May and George Osborne – united for once – spied huge
savings from a supposedly bloated and inefficient force. The police were treated like some archaic vested
interest. The hostility was cordially returned.
Times have changed and high-profile bravery in incidents from terror attacks to burglary and traffic
offences has made the Tories think again. Public opinion and sympathy has shifted markedly, and rightly so.
After a long struggle, the coppers have finally nicked their slippery Tory tormentors. Mr Johnson may want
to rebuild trust with the police, but he shouldn’t be surprised if they don’t go easy on him.