An extra 25 police officers will be deployed to Croydon crime hotspots if the Conservatives regain power in the May elections.

The £1m-a-year plan will see full-time police replace some uniformed council staff to create a reserve force, which is expected to bolster higher crime areas in north Croydon and the town centre.

The Labour party has also released plans to put more police on the streets by scrapping the Neighbourhood Enforcement Officer scheme if it triumphs in the council elections.

Councillor Gavin Barwell, Croydon council’s cabinet member for safety and cohesion, said the fight would go on for extra police funding from the Mayor of London despite the planned increase.

He said: “I don’t think it’s the answer to the Cops for Croydon campaign because this is council funding, but in terms of our case to the Metropolitan Police Association and the Mayor it shows we are willing to use some council resources.

“This is basically what I’ve been working on for a year and a bit as cabinet member.

“People don’t want uniformed council officers or PCSOs, they want proper police.”

Councillor Steve O’Connell, who also sits on the Greater London Assembly, called for extra police funding for the borough at Mayor’s Question Time on March 17.

He said: “I have to say I’m quietly confident that as the year evolves we will see that.

“It’s my judgement, and I sense some agreement, that Croydon is a place that deserves and needs other cops for no other reason than we are so big.”