Police officers in London should walk the beat on their own and not in pairs, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner has said.
Sir Paul Stephenson believes single patrols would make officers more approachable and effectively double the number of patrols.
It has been standard practice for the last 20 years for officers to walk with a partner.
About a half of the Met's 31,000 officers routinely patrol the streets.
In an address to 2,000 staff and officers, Sir Paul, Britain's most senior policeman, said: "The public, politicians, police authority, everybody you speak to, cannot understand why police officers don't patrol on their own any more, and on occasions neither do I."
Feel safer
He added: "We must be the visible uniformed governance on the street. The way in which we engage with the public is hugely important.
"I want our public to feel that if there's uniform from the Met they are there because they want to engage them and make them feel safer."
Although police numbers nationwide have reached the record level of 141,000, many people feel there are fewer bobbies on the beat than 30 years ago when the total number of police was closer to 100,000.
About a half of the Met's 31,000 officers routinely patrol the streets and some officers, including trainees, will still patrol in pairs.
Officers in response cars will continue to work in pairs as will armed officers.
A Home Office spokesman said: "Whether officers patrol singly or in pairs is a matter for local operational decision, which should take account of relevant risk factors.This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation