Definitely May-be

When Theresa May, the new home secretary, arrived at the Home Office to take up her post last week, she said: 'We will be doing some things differently: an end to ID cards, an annual limit on economic migration from outside the European Union and more accountability in terms of what the police do, with directly elected police chiefs.'

She added: 'We need to ensure that we can give the police more time out on the streets. That is what people want to see, they want to see them out there, on the beat, dealing with issues that matter in their localities, and we can do that by cutting police bureaucracy.'

But as she takes up her new role, Mrs May will not be alone. Jacqui Smith, former home secretary, wrote to her to her giving her some advice.

In an open letter, Mrs Smith wrote: 'Please try to resist those who say police numbers do not count – they do. Some senior police voices will try to suggest too much emphasis has been placed on neighbourhood policing and building confidence. They are wrong.'