From the Daily Telegraph:

Harriet Harman, the leader of the House of Commons, has been drawn into an embarrassing row after being pictured wearing a stab-proof vest as she toured her own constituency. Ms Harman took to the streets of Peckham, south London, at 9am on Monday surrounded by several police officers wearing a kevlar-reinforced jacket. She claimed that she had only done so to be polite, because all the officers were wearing them. However the picture has annoyed some of her constituents, while Opposition leaders seized on the picture to prove Labour’s poor law and order record has made the capital one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Resident Beatrice Smith, 63, said despite regular trouble on some of the neighbourhood’s estates, locals were never issued stab vests. “There were two stabbings nearby earlier today, and I’d rather see her spending time sorting the crime problem out than posing in such a ridiculous outfit,” she said. The row has echoes of the political gaffe by Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, who told earlier this year that she would not feel safe walking the streets of Hackney.

Some memories of how Peckham used to be can found here. Oddly, there are no references to kevlar jackets.