Local authorities are the key to ensuring police services are more accountable to local people.
That's the response from London Councils to plans set out in the draft Queen's Speech to introduce a new directly elected representative to give local people more of a say over how crime is tackled in their area.
London Councils believes that creating a new role to carry out this function could fracture the accountability of public services at a time when a joined up approach is needed to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing the capital.
London's borough leaders argue that local councils are the key to ensuring the police are accountable to the local community - as well as to ensuring all of the capital's public services are pulling in the same direction.
Commenting on policing in the capital, London Councils chairman Councillor Merrick Cockell said:
"It is clear that we need to do more to reconnect the police with the communities they serve. But we cannot have one body to scrutinise the police, another for health and so on.
"Local councils are the key to ensuring all the capital's public services - from the police through to the heath service - are working together to tackle the big challenges facing our communities. It is essential that government recognises this and supports councils in their attempts to empower local people."
In its recent prospectus, Trusting Devolution, London Councils set out ways to improve the accountability of London's public services - including the police - to local communities. For more information, please see our trusting devolution webpage.