Orde: Public confidence in police 'remarkably stable'

In the aftermath of "plebgate", the row has intensified as three chief constables have refused to back down after being criticised by the home secretary yesterday.

Theresa May said that officers concerned should be disciplined after accusations that they tried to discredit former Tory chief whip Andrew Mitchell.

Sir Hugh Orde told the BBC that public trust in the police force still remained strong in the wake of the accusations against the officers.

"These sorts of events go to the heart of confidence in policing... [but] the evidence shows us that confidence in policing has been remarkably stable over the last five to 10 years."

He said the public would judge the service "not because of these individual cases" but because "130,000 police officers, day-in and day-out, are out there embedded in local policing, delivering a good service."

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Wednesday 16 October 2013.