Croydon Central MP Andrew Pelling has released what he is calling his manifesto on policing.

Mr Pelling has outlined what he thinks are the best ways to save Croydon’s streets.

The 10 point plan comes after Mr Pelling’s suggestion last month to place the army on civil policing duties in the borough.

Mr Pelling said: “Use of the military or defence forces is common in the US, France and Italy for civil policing. Our army is the world’s expert on civil policing.”

“It is time for Councillor O’Connell, the assembly member who has responsibility for crime and community safety in Croydon, to stop pretending that crime is under control. As well as street killings, the Croydon Guardian has rightly given prominence, in a responsible way, to the 70 per cent increase in rape cases in Croydon. Most disturbingly, Councillor O’Connell’s only comment to the Guardian was to express surprise at the figures.”

He added: “The recent murders in Croydon are so sad for the families now grieving. I have visited other families who have lost loved ones to Croydon street killings and the impact upon them is devastating.”

In his plans, Mr Pelling would like to see a temporary emergency transfer of extra police officers to Croydon from other boroughs, and the extension of special operations activities conducted by police officers from outside the Borough. It would all be paid for, he claims, by changes in the funding formula for police officer numbers, known as the Resource Allocation Formula, or RAF.

Mr Pelling said: “Now that Councillor O’Connell is chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority’s finance committee, he has it in his power to change a formula set up by Labour and Liberal Democrat politicians that gave Croydon an unfairly low share of London’s policing numbers.

“The new formula should be adjusted to take account of Croydon’s geographical size and its position as the town with the highest number of knife killings in the country.”

The plan

1. A temporary emergency transfer of extra police officers to Croydon from other boroughs.
2. An extension of special operations activities conducted by police officers from outside the borough.
3. A change in the funding formula for police officer numbers known as the Resource Allocation Formula or RAF.
4. Dropping planning work on budget cuts to reduce uniformed police officer numbers.
5. Increase police overtime budgets to allow for more late evening policing in Croydon.
6. Ban extractions of Croydon officers to duties outside the borough.
7. Introduce a high minimum number for the number of police officers on the streets in the late evening.
8. Give a greater role to the young people’s Lives not Knives and Beatbullying campaigns for a police dialogue with young people and gang members.
9. For a limited period to introduce the army on the streets of Croydon to combat gang crime.
10. Use army personnel to talk to young people in schools and elsewhere to inspire them to have both respect and self-respect.

• Click here for our section of special reports on knife crime in Croydon.