A senior Labour politician spoke of the need for more police on the streets during a visit to a housing estate.

Shadow Home Office Minister Steve Reed visited the West Hendon Estate with Labour candidate for Hendon Andrew Dismore.

They were joined by the West Hendon safer neighbourhood team, made up of PC Erik Karaiskou and PCSO Naz Gungor.

Mr Reed spoke about how safer neighbourhood teams, set up under the last Labour government, had been reduced from nine officers per ward to two under the Coalition.

The shadow minister said: “They are losing the ability to be the eyes and ears of the streets. That’s invaluable in keeping communities safe.

“We need to see a return to neighbourhood policing. We know it’s a model that works, it helps to prevent crime from happening.”

Mr Reed said that cuts to policing were a “false economy”, as they end up “costing everybody more in the long run”.

He spoke in favour of ASBOs, and that abolishing them would “weaken the fight” against anti-social behaviour.

Pressed on how the party would pay for more neighbourhood policing, he said the savings from scrapping police and crime commissioners would help do so.

He added: “The Government announced in the budget plans to double the speed of the cuts if elected. They want to take the same out in two years. That means the cuts would fall further, with more police officers lost.”