Scotland Yard will urge the government this week to grant Gurkhas the right to remain in Britain as the Metropolitan Police seeks to recruit them in its latest attempt to tackle violent crime.

Senior commanders believe the Nepalese soldiers, who have served with distinction in the British army, would make ideal police officers, and that their discipline, strength and fearlessness would prove crucial to combating the burgeoning threat of knife and street crime.

Chief Superintendent Kevin Hurley will tell Home Office officials and MPs on the Commons Home Affairs Committee on Tuesday that agreeing to offer thousands of Gurkhas settlement in the UK will provide an invaluable resource. 'Gurkhas would make exceptional members of the police service. Many are multilingual in languages from the Indian subcontinent, highly motivated, loyal and an excellent way of diversifying our workforce,' he said.

Senior Met officers have also revealed that previous attempts to recruit Gurkhas have been ignored by the armed forces.

The Gurkhas' courage will be highlighted hours earlier when five soldiers from the 1st Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles, are presented with the Military Cross at Buckingham Palace for bravery in Afghanistan.

The High Court last month ordered the government to recognise a 'debt of honour' to the men by reconsidering a refusal to allow more than 2,000 off them permission to live in Britain because they retired before July 1997.