Prior to the Emergency Budget next week, Harrow has received news of huge funding cuts from the Centre,sending shock-waves throughout the community.Important sectors--Health,Policing,Youth,Vulnerable Adults and many others will have no option but to pull the plug on some of these valuable initiatives or down-size drastically.There is,sadly,no choice,as we were told at a meeting of the Safer Harrow Management Group. With the entire nation struggling to get on its fiscal feet,we have little option but to adapt as quickly as possible to this time of harsh economies and achieve some semblance of financial health,in the forseeable future.Gone are the days of huge over-spend.Prudence is the name of the game! Right now we must accept the harsh reality,make sacrifices and manage our budgets far more creatively,avoiding wastage,and retaining essential services.Inevitably,Policing will not escape these cuts.That does not mean a less effective service. Unsurprisingly,almost half the population of Harrow as well as Londoners consider Crime as their top priority.For this reason we have been re-assured by Assistant Commissioner,Ian McPherson,that all frontline services will be protected.His own department,Territorial Policing,will be leaner and meaner. This was revealed at a meeting for the London-wide Chairs for all 32 London Boroughs.It is a reality check we all have to learn to live with.The Met is carefully scrutinising how to make significant savings without jeopardising its core operations or compromising public safety.Makes good economic sense. Our local policing will also be protected,since our local Safer Neighbourhood Teams play such a significant role in keeping communities safe and secure.Much emphasis is being placed on recruiting Special Constables --a valuable bank of Voluntary Police officers--to deliver additional help with policing and towards Olympics Policing. The MPA/GLA are holding Crime& Community Roadshows at several locations to re-assure us of their three-pronged programme to deliver better policing outcomes against Youth Violence and against women plus spell out their three year planning strategy for the Met.They are also looking carefully at paring costs wherever possible. The time has come for each and everyone of us to make the effort to give off our best,to help our communities,as caring citizens,rather than focus on "what's in it for me?" I am sure we all feel very proud of our those in our Borough who made it to the Queens Birthday Honours list,not least our Borough Commander,Dal Babu,who was awarded an OBE.Hearty congratulations to all concerned.