The Mayor of London Boris Johnson has warned the government against cutting police numbers.

Mr Johnson said the case for cuts had been "substantially weakened" by the riots and that he opposed the Home Secretary's plans to reduce forces' budgets.

He told Today presenter John Humphrys: "That case was always pretty frail and it's been substantially weakened. This is not a time to think about making substantial cuts in police numbers... We need to give the police the courage of their convictions." And he added it would be a "good thing" if the government "had another look" at the issue.

Mr Johnson insisted that "there is an absence of boundaries and an absence of respect" behind the rioting in England, and called on society to give "the right to impose authority" back to parents and teachers.

H added that the recent violence in the capital had been "a massive own-goal" in the run-up to next year's Olympic Games.

The capital was quiet overnight but other cities, including Manchester and Merseyside, were the scene of violence and looting.

In Birmingham, police have launched a murder inquiry after three Asian men were knocked down and killed by a car. One man has been arrested.

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