Jeremy Corbyn is putting crime at the centre of Labour's general election campaign, with a promise to put 10,000 extra police officers on the streets of England and Wales.

The left-wing leader will also describe the 20,000 reduction in officers across the 43 forces in England and Wales since 2010 as "unacceptable".

More from IBTimes UK

"Cutting police numbers especially when there is more crime to deal with is unacceptable," Corbyn will tell a Southampton audience.

"That's why Labour will put 10,000 new police officers on our streets. The safety of our communities is vital to us all.

"Community policing means uniformed officers being visible, local and accessible. They engage with the public, have a detailed local knowledge and build a network of relationships."

Labour will pay for the policy by reversing plans to Capital Gains Tax, a levy on the profit when you sell something.

The 2016 Budget saw the Conservatives promise to cut the higher rate by 8% to 20% and the basic rate from 18% to 10%, costing public services more than £2.7bn ($3.4bn) over five year, according to Labour.

Tory policing minister Brandon Lewis MP branded Labour's proposal as "nonsensical".

"Jeremy Corbyn promises all sorts of things, but we all know he can't deliver," he said. "He and his supporters want to take away the powers the police need to keep us safe, and his coalition of chaos would undermine the Brexit negotiations. That would put the growing economy that funds the police at grave risk.

"Under Theresa May, the police have cut traditionally-measured crime by a third, and with her strong and stable leadership we will be able to make communities even safer."

UPDATE (2/5/2017): Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott tells LBC that the pledge will cost £80m.

Jeremy Corbyn