Brian Paddick launched his mayoral campaign this morning, and pretty slick he was too.

He focused on crime, as you'd expect of a former policeman. He set a diversionary hare running with his plans for a £20 congestion charge, the sort of slip-up you'd expect of a non-politician. And he managed a few digs at Boris Johnson, the Tory rival he must undermine if he is to gain any traction in his bid to oust Ken Livingstone in May.

But most impressive, perhaps, was the impression that he's clearly a very smart - if not modest - individual. Even if he can't yet tell a joke, he's developing political antennae. Ken's remark last week that he is powerless to stop the spree of young Londoners killing each other was a "very sad statement" for any Mayor to make. "I think last week was a turning point in the mayoral campaign," said Mr Paddick. He is not alone.

He chose to launch his campaign in Lambeth - the part of London with which he is best known, having introduced a "softly, softly" approach to cannabis possession while Met borough commander.

After a speech in the council chamber, he went on a walkabout with new Lib-Dem leader Nick Clegg to Electric Avenue. It had initially been selected for its bustling market, but by chance it also turned out to be the location of London's latest headline-grabbing murder - a 24-year-old medical student was stabbed to death on Saturday evening.

For a candidate who plans to focus his campaign on crime, it was a photo opportunity not to miss - and Mr Paddick plonked himself in front of two police community support officers (none the wiser in their high-visibility jackets) while conducting a TV interview.

During his town hall address, Mr Paddick didn't quite manage to speak without reference to his notes as promised, but he was better prepared than his new boss.

Mr Clegg began by getting tongue-tied over "Paddick" and "Lambeth" and then claimed: "After 10 years of Ken, London is still bedevilled by problems." Ken has only been Mayor for eight years - or has been running London for 13 if we include his leadership of the GLC.

Mr Clegg launched the first attack on Boris. "He seems to have the organisational skills of Frank Spencer: fit to entertain London, not fit to run London," said Mr Clegg. Frank Spencer? The last series of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em was first screened 30 years ago. So much for attracting the younger vote, then.

Mr Paddick spoke at length, emphasising the need for change. Well, at City Hall at least - not Scotland Yard. Despite previously calling for the head of Met commissioner Sir Ian Blair over the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes, Mr Paddick said the pair now agreed on "practically everything else". The first Lib-Dem wibble-wobble of the campaign or an acknowledgement that it's a battle no longer worth fighting?

He referred also to last week's TV debate, in which a tired-looking Ken underperformed and Boris had noticeably sharpened up. Cue another dig at Boris.

"Boris, there is no way I could chair Have I Got News For You like you do," he said. "It's horses for courses and I'm better suited to be Mayor. Boris, you are best suited out of it."

Boris has already dubbed Ken "king newt" due to his fondness for amphibians. Mr Paddick followed in a similar vein. "Ken Livingstone got very angry [on TV]," he said. "He got very angry because he was being challenged seriously, possibly for the first time. Boris Johnson complained that Ken was being nasty.

"Boris, people are like their pets. It's a little-known fact that newts secrete poison when they're threatened by predators."

There was a cringeworthy moment when he pretented to be a petrol-head car enthusiast - yet held up a picture of an Oyster card as his dream machine. Well, at least it wasn't a bendy bus.

But he redeemed himself with the clever idea of allowing an hour's travel for every Oyster journey, regardless of the number of buses boarded. After all, you don't pay extra when you interchange between Tube lines, he correctly said.

Then to questions. He suggested hiking the congestion charge to £20, was unable to name - for reasons of commercial confidentiality - the private firms interested in running the Underground under his puzzling plan to break up the network, and wanted to rid London of white van man.

White van man? "I was walking along with a boyfriend, along the River Thames, last year," he recalled. "Someone in a white van started tooting their horn. When we looked he was making an obscene gesture out of a window at us. If people have this outdated attitude it's best they go and live somewhere else."

So there you have it. Paddick has plenty to say, and says it with style. Whether he can continue to be heard once the two big beasts really get going is, however, another matter.