Jacqui Smith 'broke election rules' with terror announcement, claim Tories in official complaint

The Home Secretary has been accused of breaking electoral rules after she promised 300 more community police to root out potential terrorists.

The Tories have reported Jacqui Smith to the head of the civil service for allegedly flouting a ban on using the civil service to win coverage which could influence the local elections on May 1.

The Home Office said her announcement was of "fundamental national importance" and had to be made yesterday. However, the 300 extra officers and support staff are being introduced gradually over three years.

The first will not be on the streets until later this year.

The ban on using the civil service to influence an election results, known as "purdah", began last Thursday.

But yesterday morning Miss Smith made her announcement, which dominated BBC news bulletins.

The extra staff will be dedicated to stopping radicalisation, and spotting youths on the brink of being lured into terrorism.

Officers involved will be expected to build community relations and visit schools, prisons and community centres which may be exploited by fanatics.

Miss Smith, who backed her media appearances with a speech to police, said it was not possible to "arrest our way" out of the terrorist threat.

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"We need to prevent people from becoming terrorists and supporting terrorists in the first place.

"That means challenging the sort of ideology that supports terrorism, it means working in our communities to make sure that those mainstream voices are stronger, it means identifying people who might be at risk of being drawn into terrorism and violent extremism."

She warned that the biggest threat to the Muslim community would come if there is a backlash in the wake of a successful attack, rather than from legislation to detain terror suspects for up to 42 days without charge.

Miss Smith said the 300 staff were being funded by an extra £11million this year announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review. But she conceded that the scheme would involve "police officers and staff", not just officers.

However, the Conservatives said that her announcement breaks both the convention and official rules.

In a formal complaint to the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Gus O'Donnell, Tory local government spokesman Eric Pickles said: "It is clear that Labour Ministers have intentionally broken Cabinet Office rules in an attempt to create a political smokescreen.

"They are trying to hide the fact that police authorities across the country are now axing the number of police officers, whilst hiking the police levy on council tax bills.

"I fear that this is growing evidence of the politicisation of the Civil Service under Labour, as ministers desperately try to salvage a sinking election campaign."

Tory security spokesman Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones, said: "The proposal for reallocating 300 police officers and staff - from an already decreasing pool of officers - to tackle radicalisation is a minor measure that will have limited impact."

The Home Office said it "attaches great importance to adherence to the rules governing elections, and gave this issue careful consideration, including discussing with the Cabinet Office".

"The Home Secretary's speech is about the prevention of terrorism, an issue of fundamental national importance and on which the Government has a duty to act.

"It is on this basis that the Home Secretary made her speech. As she made clear in her radio interview this morning (yesterday), she believes that this is an issue which transcends party lines."