A private security firm is offering a lending hand to Croydon cops after fearing imminent cuts could leave the town lawless.

Abal Security, who have been running door security in Croydon's pubs for almost three decades, want to put private security officers in places like council estates, parks and trams.

The officers in these locations would be provided with their own CCTV equipped vans, head cams and radio systems to help the police in areas where they may be stretched.

Abal Security owner, Tom Richardson, said: “Croydon used to be a great place but we've noticed a steep decline in the footfall in clubs and shops.

“This is obviously to do with the unfair bad reputation Croydon gets and on some nights you can see why.

“We want to offer a support service where our guys will patrol areas using CCTV vans and head cameras so we can gather intelligence for the police and clean up areas that may not be getting full attention.

“We'll even go down there with paint brushes and tools to fix up the area if they want us to.”

The plan is to have the security officer’s act as wardens for the estates and parks and to let people know they are on film and the police will be called if they commit crimes.

Abal hopes this will improve the confidence of people living in these areas, in turn making it safer for them to report crimes.

Mr Richardson said: “You can't work in an area for as long as we have and not care about it.

“A lot of money could be invested in Croydon if only people were more confident to come here.

“We are well trained and could make a big difference in the lives of people who just want to go about their daily business safely.

“By getting into areas like estates we can provide the police with invaluable intelligence and stop problems before they spiral out of control.”

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