Jason Stacey has a clear message for Boris Johnson - more police are urgently needed on the streets of Ealing.

The council leader will meet Mr Johnson in two weeks to press the issue and the Gazette is today calling on all our readers to add their weight to the campaign.

Inside today's Gazette is a postcard which can be returned to the council free of charge - and a postbag full of them will be taken to the City Hall for the meeting on December 4.

They will be added to the coupons and comments which have been sent to the Gazette since our Beef Up Our Bobbies campaign launched in August.

It came after the council leader calculated that Ealing has a shortfall of between 68 and 72 officers when compared to other boroughs with similar crime rates.

And residents from Acton to Southall agree that Ealing - which has the third largest population in London - is suffering as a result of understaffing.

Every postcard delivered to the borough before the end of November will be handed to Mr Johnson, who is also chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority.

Mr Stacey said: "Our local police are doing an excellent job, but there simply aren't enough of them.

"We work very closely with our partners in the police to make Ealing safer, but we will always be at a disadvantage because we donÕt have our fair share of officers. 

"This is one of the few issues where councillors across all political parties are united.  I will personally deliver all the responses to Boris Johnson later this year to ensure he understands how important this issue is to people in Ealing."

Ealing has one police officer for every 428 residents, compared to the London average of one officer for every 398 people - which would mean the borough is due another 72 officers to bring it up to the mark, on top of the 703 officers already in place.

Councillors voted unanimously in October to support the campaign.

Gazette editor Shujaul Azam said: "There is obviously a need for more bobbies on the streets of Ealing and that is why we are campaigning strongly to increase the police presence in the borough."

* Postcards must be returned to the council, free of charge, before November 31. Only one petition should be completed per person.

For more information or to sign online visit www.ealing.gov.uk