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Every council ward in London will get a second dedicated police officer patrolling their streets under plans announced by Sadiq Khan today.

It means each of the 629 local wards will have two devoted officers and a police community support officer by the end of next year.

More than half of London will get a new “bobby on the beat” earlier, with 260 newly dedicated ward officers in place by Christmas.

The Mayor vowed to put the capital’s communities at the heart of his policing strategy in a bid to improve trust between the public and the police.

He said local officers were better equipped to prevent and detect crime and acted as the “eyes and ears” of the security services.

During the mayoral election campaign, Mr Khan pledged to restore neighbourhood policing, leaving some Londoners believing he would bring back the traditional model — one sergeant, two Pcs and three PCSOs in every ward — scrapped by Boris Johnson.

The former mayor reorganised policing in 2011 by cutting the ward-based presence and drafting in extra borough-based officers when needed.

However, figures showed that the remaining local officers were routinely sent away to deal with protests and major events in central London.

Most wards in London have just one dedicated Pc and one PCSO, although around 100 of the wards with the highest crime levels have two constables.

Mr Khan, on a visit with the Safer Neighbourhood Team near his home in Tooting, said: “The safety and security of all Londoners is my first priority and this starts with real neighbourhood policing.

"Today, I am very pleased to be able to announce the first significant step towards this, with a second dedicated Pc in every London ward.

“Our local officers should be known both to the community and by the community. Their local knowledge helps to prevent and detect crime, and they are the local eyes and ears of our security services. They are essential to improving trust and confidence in our police and keeping our communities safe.”

The newly dedicated officers will be drawn from existing broader roles, and would be protected from being called away on other duties.

Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said: “I have long said that neighbourhood policing, and the strong links it gives us to our communities, is the bedrock upon which all our work is based.”