THE PRIME minister has been criticised after pledging he would cut street crime - even though a breakthrough in mobile phone technology would result in a dramatic drop anyway.

Ealing GLA member Richard Barnes, who is Tory London crime spokesman, has slammed Tony Blair for trying to take the credit.

The Met has revealed that new software will let police disable stolen handsets from July.

Mr Barnes who is also deputy chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority spoke out after hearing how the PM has pledged to bring street crime under control by September.

"I find it staggering that the Prime Minister was willing to take the credit for a change in technology that would have led to a cut in crime," he said.

"I am glad that the mobile phone industry have made this move, but I hope that the expected resulting fall in street crime does not give the Prime Minister another excuse not to give London the extra police that they deserve."

In his own constituency region new Scotland Yard figures released in late April show that there were 2,780 incidents of street crime reported to the police - a massive increase of almost 50 per cent on the previous year when 1,876 incidents were recorded.

However, only 294 muggings have been solved by detectives in the Ealing area over 2001/2 - a trend echoed throughout London where the detection rate was a dismal 15 per cent for all offences.

Downing Street said it was 'inaccurate' to claim that Mr Blair had the new technology in mind when he pledged to tackle street robberies to MPs on Wednesday (April 24).