The chancellor has announced that cash will be available to fund further rises in the number of police and community support officers on Britain's streets.

Gordon Brown told MPs on Monday that the Home Office budget will rise from £12.7 billion this year to £14.9 billion by 2007/08, an average annual real terms rise of 2.7 per cent.

Much of this will go towards homeland security, with defences against terrorism set to be massively reinforced.

Border security and investment in intelligence will rise from a current level of £1.5 billion per year to £2.1 billion in 2008, a 10 per cent average annual rise.

Brown said that this was more than twice the £950 million being spent on security before the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington in 2001.

The home secretary will also get more resources to put into both the prevention and prosecution of crime.

David Blunkett will be able to pay for 20,000 more community support officers by 2008, as well as adding to the record level of 138,000 police constables.

"There is a clear consensus among the people of this country that to modernise the way we tackle crime and the fear of crime we need, on our streets, not just policemen and women but community support officers at the heart of each neighbourhood who can also patrol our streets, build links with local people and prevent anti social behaviour," Brown said.

"The home secretary proposes that reform in the criminal justice means strengthening the effectiveness of police by matching our record number of police achieved by the home secretary - now 138,000 in total - with a new group of community based officers."

Blunkett added that: "This extra funding is a recognition of how much investment since 1997 has helped us change the country for the better.

"Crime is at its lowest for 20 years and it has fallen by 25 per cent since 1997.

"We have completed the first phase of reform for a modern responsive police service and there are record numbers of police on the streets, nearly 10 per cent more than in 1997."