Safer neighbourhood teams (SNTs) could be scrapped in a major shake-up of community policing.

Top officers in Merton said the success of operation Lockdown this summer, which saw a flood of extra police resources double arrest numbers in the borough’s crime hot spots, proved the current SNT system was too rigid – and said a pilot scheme for more flexible deployment could be trialled in Merton and rolled-out across London.

But London’s former Mayor Ken Livingstone, who introduced SNTs to London, said a move to scrap the current system could be a cover for “major cuts” in officer numbers and risked breaking the link between police and the community.

He said: “I believe local police teams are a vital part of the fight against crime because they are dedicated to the communities they serve and can tackle crime and antisocial behaviour all year round. Cutting SNTs is a mistake.”

Merton’s borough commander Chief Superintendent Dick Wolfenden, said: “Having everything ring-fenced doesn’t seem like an efficient use of resources.”

Earlier this month Merton police announced it needed to make budget cuts of up to 7 per cent a year over the next four years, on top of an 11 per cent saving this year.

This week Chief Supt Wolfenden announced plans for a pilot scheme to re-organise the borough’s community policing beats into five areas, rather than the current 20 electoral wards.

But he said it would need to be given the green light by London’s chief cop Sir Paul Stephenson and the Metropolitan Police Authority, and could not be rolled out before the new year.

Chief Supt Wolfenden said he would be submitting a business case to re-organise his officers around five “natural neighbourhoods” – Morden, Mitcham, Colliers Wood, Wimbledon and Raynes Park.

He said the move had been made after consultation with politicians and members of the public, and no area would lose its police presence.

Operation Lockdown, which ran from July to October, saw extra officers deployed to five crime-hit Mitcham wards.

Detective Chief Inspector Sean Wanless, head of Merton CID, said the operation had led to 80 arrests and more than 600 stops of suspected criminals – double the usual figure for that period – as well as a “significant reduction” in residential burglaries.

He said: “The Met has got to be more flexible in future – especially in trying financial times.”