Hardly any police at all will be needed if they are given the powers to arrest and detain suspects on a whim, Theresa May has said.

Ending the time-consuming business of evidence gathering by tearing up human rights will enable just a handful of Judge Dredd-style officers to arrest, convict and “neutralise” suspects based on guesswork, according to the Prime Minister.

Amid claims the public has been put at risk by police cuts she oversaw as Home Secretary, Mrs May said: “Let’s put the public at risk of arrest instead.”

She said: “The police no longer have time to investigate the most serious crimes and I will ensure they don’t need to by allowing them to arrest and detain people based on a hunch.

“I’m talking about the people we don’t have enough evidence to prosecute in court but think might be a threat anyway.

“Let’s cut to the chase here. I’m talking about Muslims.

“By giving police powers to arrest them for no particular reason, I can pretty much guarantee an end to radicalisation.

“If it doesn’t work we’ll have to go further but let’s not explore where that road leads to at this stage.

“If I am elected as Prime Minister on Thursday, that work begins on Friday.”