Festus Akinbusoye is not your average Conservative politician.
He has been stopped and searched six times, once on suspicion of being on ‘London’s most wanted’ list by police.
Despite this, he went on to become an officer himself and was Britain’s first Black crime commissioner, representing Bedfordshire Police from 2021 until 2024.
He also enjoyed a spell as a professional basketball player in the Budweiser League and has a prized collection of Air Jordan trainers.
Now, he is hoping to run as the Tory candidate for London Mayor in 2028.
Mr Akinbusoye was brought up in the capital, where he also went to school and university.
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He is now a Westminster councillor as well as a single parent.
Mr Akinbusoye, 48, would seek to replace Sadiq Khan, who has won three terms. Khan has yet to confirm whether he will fight for a fourth spell in office.
His main opponent for the Tory ticket is James Cleverly, a former cabinet minister who spent many years on the London Assembly.
But in a sit-down with Metro, father-of-three Mr Akinbusoye said he understands the capital – warts and all – making him the candidate most likely to win the mayoralty for the Conservatives.
He says he will put more police on the streets and rethink the ULEZ charge in outer London boroughs.
He told Metro: ‘We cannot police a growing city with a shrinking police force. My goal as mayor would be over two terms, eight years, to get the police headcount to 40,000.
‘Police officers are getting burned out because of the caseload pressure. There’s a loss of public confidence as police can’t turn up to everything. There are just not enough officers.’
He said that the number of special constables would also be boosted.
He added: ‘We need to retain more officers as well. Too many are transferring out of London because of the pressure.’
Mr Akinbusoye said that, rather than turning him against the Met, being stopped and searched so often as a child made him understand the pressures the police force faces.
‘There should be better stop and search. The first time I was stopped, I was coming back from basketball practice.
‘I was 18 at the time. I was driving a Vauxhall Cavalier with a bass box in the back.
‘The officer searched; there was nothing there. Then, at the end, I asked the officer, “Why did you stop me?”
‘He said, “I just wanted to check you weren’t one of London’s most wanted.”‘
He added: ‘I am the biggest champion and challenger to the police.’
On his agenda would be an audit of the police budget and the Mayor’s office. He would also seek to bring back borough commanders for all 32 London boroughs rather than the current system of merging areas.
Away from crime, Mr Akinbusoye told Metro he would order a review of the ULEZ charge for outer London boroughs.
He said: ‘In central London I think ULEZ is fair enough, because there are public transport options.
‘In outer London boroughs, that is not the case, and I think we need to look again.
‘People should not be penalised in this way. Of course, the environment and clean air are very important, but in outer London boroughs there is a case for not imposing the charge.’
He also wants to crack down on truancy in school and would put more resources into improving attendance, plus looking at the costs being heaped onto the hospitality industry.
He now must convince Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch that his vision gives the party the best opportunity of winning City Hall for the first time since Boris Johnson’s term came to an end in 2016.
The Tory candidate will ultimately be chosen after a vote by Conservative Londoners.
As he left our meeting, the ebullient mayoral hopeful punched the air and said: ‘Festus for mayor!’
The next Mayoral election is scheduled for May 4, 2028.