Romanian police were deployed on the streets of London today to tackle the problem of beggars and pickpockets in the West End.

Ten Romanian officers, including detectives, have been seconded to the Met for three months in a bid to counter a wave of petty crime.

Seven officers will go on patrol in Westminster in uniform to deal with gangs of beggars who have been camping out in central London.

The Roma travellers, including young children and pregnant women, have been living around Marble Arch and Park Lane for the past two months.

Today new figures reveal the scale of the problem, with police saying they have made 670 arrests of Romanian nationals since November last year.

Commander Richard Martin, who is in charge of covert policing and intelligence, said the Romanian officers had been hand-picked for their knowledge of the Roma community.

They all speak English and would have access to intelligence systems in Romania though they would not have police powers while on patrol in London.

Mr Martin said: “They know their communities really well, which will give us a massive advantage. They will be able to check their intelligence systems in Romania for people who are wanted here but they will also be able to communicate freely with these groups and will understand their culture.”

The officers will be deployed for three months in a pilot project, three of whom will work with trafficking teams.

The scheme was launched today with the Romanian ambassador to London, Dr Ion Jinga, who said more than 20 travellers had voluntarily gone back to Romania already.

He claimed the scale of the problem was exaggerated and that only about 40 individuals had been arrested. He said no country was perfect and pointed to the number of British citizens who were in prison in Spain. He added that the issue of gipsies camping around Marble Arch was now resolved.