Livingstone 'will bring respect'

Mr Livingstone has been London mayor since 2000

Labour's London mayor Ken Livingstone has pledged to restore "respect for our neighbours and our city" if re-elected.

He told the BBC he would follow the zero-tolerance policing methods used in New York, adding that "if someone drops litter they should be arrested".

Mr Livingstone also said he would increase the number of London police.

Conservative Boris Johnson and Lib Dem Brian Paddick are also offering to create more officers, ahead of Thursday's election.

There are 10 candidates, with 5.5 million registered voters. Polls open at 0700 BST and close at 2200 BST.

'Massive use'

Mr Livingstone, who has been mayor since the job was created in 2000, told the BBC News channel that the £9bn Olympic budget represented good value.

He said of the sites currently under construction: "They are going to get massive use by the general public and Olympic athletes training [for later Games]."

Mr Livingstone said impoverished areas around the various stadiums would benefit from the money spent on new infrastructure.

He added: "People forget about it [poverty] because it's right in the heart of London."

The mayor also said it taken "the spur of the Olympics" to bring in investment from the government.

Questioned as to whether he had employed "cronies" during his time in City Hall, Mr Livingstone replied: "I brought in the most talented people from around the world to work with us...

"I think every one of these choices has been a good choice. We've had a smear campaign against one of my staff."

He added: "If you make those sorts of smears near an election, they don't get cleared until after the election."