Chief superintendent Brian Moore is not returning to Lambeth after he attends a seven-month promotion course from February.

And a review, which is currently being held about the rank of borough commander could mean the role is downgraded because of re-structuring.

A police spokesman said: "At the moment there is a review of the structure, rank and support of the role of borough commander but no decision has been made as yet as to whether the role will be retained."

Wesley Stephenson, Honourable Controller for the Lambeth Police Consultative Committee Chief said Lambeth and Westminster were currently the only London boroughs with borough commanders.

He said: "There will probably not be any more borough commander jobs as the MPA is reputed to be doing away with them.

"I think it will be a great shame if the role of borough commander is dropped because it means overall control will be from Scotland Yard and not based in Lambeth.

"A borough commander should work on patch so they can make decisions there and then.

"If the role is run from a central base it will also create a lot more administrative paperwork."

Mr Moore took up his post as acting borough commander in Lambeth after former Borough Commander Brian Paddick was moved to a post at Scotland Yard, following allegations which have since been dropped.

Although commander Brian Moore and officers in most other London boroughs are called borough commanders, their actual rank is that of chief superintendent.

Borough Commander Brian Paddick had this rank as well as this role. He recently decided not to return to his former job as he thought it would "not be in the borough's interests, even though he loved every minute of it".

He is now working at Scotland Yard's National Intelligence Model, the MPA blueprint for reducing crime.

January 27, 2003 11:30