It was a hard act to follow. John Stevens (now Lord Stevens) had transformed the Metropolitan Police in both morale and performance and, of course, had with Sir Ian Blair as his deputy the daunting task of dealing with the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Both highly experienced and senior officers reported at that time directly to me; the structure has been changed since to give much greater authority to the elected Mayor of London.

Sir Ian Blair had not had widespread experience, but was tested against some of the best in the world. At my insistence, we looked at successful commissioners from the United States – those who had had experience in turning round major policing challenges, such as New York.

Universally in this country people were clear that they wanted someone with British experience and with a feel for Britain's policing. Sir Ian had already commenced putting in place the neighbourhood policing teams, reversing the failed policy of the 1980s and 1990s, which arose from the obsession with what became known as the "Z-Cars" form of policing – named after the television series. In simple terms, this meant going back to getting the police into the neighbourhood and community rather than in the panda car; a process which is still gradually developing across the country, but for which Sir Ian can take the credit as the driving force.

I worked with him on that policy. Part of this was the development of the police community support officers, which now form a presence in so many of our neighbourhoods and provide not only a regular but a familiar presence on the streets, not to be either distracted or called away from patrols for major incidents, which had been bedevilling local policing for generations.

With Sir Ian's commitment, we turned round the way in which the Metropolitan Police operated; and this not-so-new experience was
then translated into major police forces across the country, as we can see in the West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and Humberside and North Yorkshire services.

But as with so many people with leadership qualities and drive, Sir Ian made enemies – those who didn't like his often abrasive style, or his desire to bring about modernisation, reform and change. Resistance inside and outside the police service went with the territory; but of course, it was a major factor in undermining his credibility.

There was also what may be described as the "sod's law" element – the fact that a number of very high profile incidents took place while Sir Ian was Commissioner – even though they were, of course, part of dealing with the highly complex, modern Metropolitan Police force and its responsibilities for counter-terrorism across the country. Dealing with this latter point is often underestimated in terms of the role of the Metropolitan Commissioner and the tremendous burden carried by the holder of that post in protecting us from attack and working closely with MI5, our security service, on prevention and not just detection.

The tragic death of Jean Charles de Menezes was not something that could be and (the inquiry confirmed) should not be placed at Sir Ian's door. But of course, he was the head of the force. Equally, other issues which in the past would have been swept under the carpet are now quite rightly part of the new Independent Police Complaints Commission process – something again that I was proud to set up – that offers much greater transparency than has ever been the case before in terms of the British police service.

There was one further factor. Elements both in the political arena and the press simply did not like Sir Ian Blair. He rubbed them up the wrong way, or, in the political arena, had not been as sensitive to the toes he was treading on as others might have wished.

It is now hoped that whoever replaces him will be given the political space, free from interference by those in positions of authority in London – and in the official Opposition – and in the media, to get on with the job.

We do have a tendency in Britain at the moment to embark on witch-hunts without any thought of the consequences or proper and considered balance as to what the crime is supposed to be, or any kind of sensible reflection on what punishment is deserved.

We are fortunate. We have the cleanest, the most scrutinised and, in my view, the most competent police service in the world. We should be proud of it and of those who lead it. We should seek to support rather than undermine them; to promote their successes, rather than highlight their failures. We should rejoice in, rather than denigrate, the improvements that have been made; and we should welcome the transparency that has accompanied such change and reform, understand it and not use it as a battering ram to undermine individuals of high quality whose characteristics of forthrightness don't fit with preconceived notions rooted in the past.


David Blunkett is a former Home Secretary and the MP for Sheffield Brightside.