Donald Trump will personally patrol the streets of Washington DC on Thursday night as part of a crackdown on crime in the capital.

The US president will join officers from the Metropolitan Police Department, which he took federal control of last week, and National Guard troops, for a ride-along.

“I’m going to be going out tonight, I think, with the police and with the military, of course. So we’re going to do a job,” he told conservative radio host Todd Starnes.

“The National Guard is great. They’ve done a fantastic job,” Mr Trump added.

The move follows an Aug 10 executive order he signed federalising local police forces and activating some 800 DC National Guard troops.