PARK security could be scrapped in order to bring extra police officers to the borough.

Proposals due to be considered by the council leadership would see the end of the authority's Parks Police Service, which patrols green spaces but whose officers not have the power of arrest outside of the parks they patrol.

Instead the council could strike a deal with the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) to create a new team of fully-qualified police officers responsible for patrolling parks and tackling anti-social behaviour.

MPA has agreed to match any council outlay on new officers to create a 14-strong team.

The authority currently spends £672,000 a year on its parks unit.

This will be reduced by half over three years under the new plan.

Cllr Shoaib Patel, cabinet member for environment and community safety, said: “This is excellent news for Redbridge - we have increased the number of police without spending any extra money.

“It will guarantee that there is always a police officer in each park and they will have more powers to tackle crime than the parks police have.”

The new police team would be made up of 12 officers led by two sergeants.

It would be tasked with reducing crime in open spaces, as well as patrolling anti-social behaviour hotspots.

The move comes at a time when the Met is looking to halve the number of sergeants running Safer Neighbourhood Teams.

Residents of South Woodford have complained of a rise in anti-social behaviour associated with the dozens of late-night bars in the area.

Cllr Richard Hoskins, of Church End ward, said: “The upshot is that we will have more police officers on the ground for no extra expenditure.

“The police will have more powers than parks police and they will be more effective as a crime deterrent in tackling issues like anti-social behaviour which affect our area.”

The proposal will be considered by cabinet on May 3.