New research has found that 38 per cent of Harrow households do not believe that the police have a visible presence.

Data drawn from the Met’s recently launched confidence comparator found that less than two-thirds of people felt police were providing a visible policing presence in Harrow - with some areas of the borough seen to be worse than others.

Results differed slightly across the borough, with 64 per cent of households in Harrow East believing there was a visible presence compared to 62 per cent in Harrow West and 60 per cent in central Harrow.

In comparison, almost 50 per cent of Londoners believe the police do not have a visible presence in their area.

A total of 105 police officers and community support officers have been lost from the borough over the past five years, along with the force seeing a 14 per cent increase in violent crime during last year.

Mary Stretham, 79, said: “You read all about the amount of crime in the area and it does make me worried to go out alone when it gets darker.

“As a pensioner I do feel quite vulnerable. I don’t own a mobile phone so if something happens when I go out, I have to rely on the kindness of strangers. There wouldn’t be a nearby police station I could walk to or a policeman on the street that could help me.”

However, the data also shows that Harrow has the second highest rate of confidence in the police in London – coming in at 77 per cent, second only to the London Borough of Richmond.

Mrs Khan, 45, said: “You don’t see police on every street, every day, but every now and again you do see a pair walking along a high street and yes, that does make you feel safe to know they are out there.”

London Assembly Member Navin Shah is calling on the Mayor to put more police officers back into boroughs.

He said: “With 105 fewer uniformed officers on Harrow’s streets since the Government came to power it’s no surprise that many local people do not feel that there is a visible police presence in Harrow.

“It’s now very likely that the Mayor will miss his target to increase public confidence by 20 per cent and it’s not hard to see why. The cuts to police numbers and the Mayor’s decision to dismantle neighbourhood policing teams have clearly been noticed by people in Harrow and indeed across the capital.

“It’s increasingly clear that we need to see more officers back on the beat in our local neighbourhoods.”