Crime went down by 6% across the capital during the Olympic and Paralympic Games according to initial estimates, the head of the Met Police Bernard Hogan-Howe said on Tuesday morning.
Speaking to MPs on the Home Affairs Select Committee, Hogan-Howe said police were happy to step into the breach when security company G4S said they could not deliver enough security staff to protect the London 2012 games.
"Not only did the public seem to enjoy it but also the officers didn't want to go back," he said, joking that a similar event should be arranged every year.
Crime went down by 6% across the capital during the London 2012 games according to initial estimates
In earlier comments Boris Johnson told journalists the Met had only arrested nine people at games venues during the Olympics and crime was down 5% compared to the year before it during the Olympic games.
Appearing alongside Hogan-Howe, assistant commissioner Chris Allison MBE, Assistant Commissioner said there were always contingency plans if any problems emerged with Olympics security.
"One of the first things we put in place back in 2011 was a 1,000 military strong contingency force," Allison said.
But he did not know the total cost of the police's involvement in security.
"The figures are in the final calculation at the moment, and that’s part of the commercial negotiations that will be fed through to Locog in their discussions with G4S."
Locog chair Seb Coe, who also gave evidence to the committee, said public safety was "paramount" when preparing for the Olympics.
He thanked the military, saying that the armed forces who stepped into the breach along with the police became one of the defining features of the games.
The company's chief executive, newly-appointed Treasury minister Paul Deighton, told MPs G4S "could and should" have been able to deliver, adding that they were unaware of any problems with the G4S contract until 11 July.
G4S' chief executive Nick Buckles will appear before the committee later on Tuesday to answer questions on the security problems.