He promised the recourse to fines rather than jail terms for criminals convicted to under a year in a move to clear out France’s overcrowded prisons.

Fines for sexual harassment in the street would be tripled to €300 and the number of police in public transport doubled.

The president’s trip infuriated Eric Ciotti, the powerful and hardline MP of the Alpes-Maritimes département to which Nice belongs and who is Ms Pécresse’s chief security advisor.

On Monday, he refused to honour protocol to meet the President, saying: “I will not endorse this petty electoral manoeuvre.”

Mr Macron, he claimed was responsible for France meeting its “security Waterloo” and allowing “society to become ‘ensavaged’.’

His legacy was “A Clockwork Orange France,” he claimed, in a reference to a British novel and 1971 dystopian film about extreme violence of youth gangs.

“How dare he campaign on security and what’s more at the expense of the taxpayer?,” exclaimed Ms Le Pen. “I will restore order to France.”

Mr Zemmour, who is struggling to gather the endorsements needed to stand, said Mr Macron’s policies show he wants “a big fat powerless government in a country in constant conflict”.

The government insists that crime rates have mainly gone down under its watch but the opposition counters that the Covid pandemic has masked the true state of delinquency and violence in France.

Despite the criticism, an Ifop poll out on Sunday suggested that Mr Macron was still seen as a much safer pair of hands regarding law and order and immigration than his closest rivals.

Only 22 per cent thought Mr Le Pen would do a better job, followed by 14 per cent for Mr Zemmour and 13 per cent for Ms Pécresse.

The president has not officially announced he will seek a second mandate but there is little doubt he will throw his hat in the ring. He remains out in front in opinion polls.