THE former detective who brought zero tolerance policing to Britain, last night warned that yobs could soon seize control of the streets unless drastic action is taken.

Ray Mallon was dubbed Robocop for the tough policy he pioneered in the North-East in the mid-1990s.

And the former detective superintendent, now mayor of Middlesbrough, believes anti-social behaviour could escalate to alarming levels if the Government fails to "get a grip" now.

Mr Mallon issued the warning as he spoke out in support of the under-fire Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, who called for radical reforms last week.

Sir Ian's proposals were criticised by civil liberty groups for being the equivalent of "Judge Dredd law", as they would see police officers given the power to bypass the courts to seize driving licences and vehicles.

Hard-line measures to combat anti-social behaviour were also suggested - and Mr Mallon is behind such action.

"On a daily basis, people can walk down the street and see something that fills them full of fear," he said.

"Anti-social behaviour is now at epidemic proportions - of that there is no doubt. If the Government doesn't get a grip of it, we will be heading for real problems.

"If you ask people in Middlesbrough or anywhere else, they don't believe their home will be broken into or their car stolen in the next 48 hours.

"But they do believe they will see the hoodlum element in the street, whose behaviour will intimidate them."

Mr Mallon helped slash crime in Middlesbrough in his first year as the town's civic leader - and wants more work carried out to tackle the public's top priority.

"I constantly engage the Chief Constable of Cleveland Police, Sean Price, to tell him what we all would like to see - a police force that polices the streets.

"We call it a police service now because that's what the politically-correct brigade wants.

"But it should be a force - there to maintain discipline on the streets, and that's what Sir Ian Blair is talking about."

Mr Mallon hailed the work of Northumbria Chief Constable Mike Craik whose Total Policing policy is designed to combat crime at all levels.

But he believes the array of performance indicators and targets that forces must meet could be hindering efforts to tackle the biggest issue.

"The Government must introduce a key performance indicator for anti-social behaviour. That will focus the police more sharply than ever on their number one priority," he said.