London is set to have only two police station front counters operating around the clock, despite a previous pledge by Mayor Sadiq Khan to ensure 24-hour counters in every borough.
This decision is part of a broader initiative to reduce costs by £260 million, which includes the reduction of 1,700 police officers and staff members.
The 24-hour counters will continue operations at the high-traffic locations of Charing Cross and Lewisham. Overall, the number of stations across the city has decreased from 37 to 27, a change expected to save £7 million—merely a fraction of the budget shortfall faced by the police force.
Twenty-five other stations across London will remain open from Monday to Friday, between 10 AM and 10 PM, and on weekends from 9 AM to 7 PM.
This effectively ends Mayor Khan’s previous commitment to maintain at least one 24-hour counter in each of the capital’s 32 boroughs.
However, Mayor Khan recently noted that “very few” people now utilize these desks and argued that the funds could be more effectively allocated to local policing efforts, even though 50,000 crimes were reported through these counters last year.
Campaigners have urged that the closure of police station front desks will ‘undoubtedly’ lead to a rise in crime.
One member of police staff said the desks were ‘always busy’, with extra officers being called in to man them.
London will have only two police station front counters open 24 hours a day – despite Sadiq Khan ‘s promise to have one in every borough
The move is part of a cost-cutting scheme to save £260million which has included cutting 1,700 officers and staff (pictured: Bethnal Green station, which is set to lose its front desk)
While another told the BBC staff can’t even take breaks because there is no one to cover them.
He added removing the service will cement the public’s lack of trust in the force.
The move has raised concerns for domestic abuse charity Refuge, who said the counters are the only way of contacting police for some.
Emma Pickering, its head of tech-facilitated abuse, said many survivors have said their phones are being monitored by their abusers and so don’t feel safe to call the police.
She added: ‘Some survivors report that their perpetrators actually work in the police, so they wouldn’t necessarily trust a phone call, they would want to be assured they know who they’re speaking to before they make any disclosures.’
Gareth Roberts, who sits on the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee for the Liberal Democrats has also disapproved of the plans.
He said it will have ‘real consequences for hundreds, if not thousands of Londoners’, and hit the elderly, disabled and people who can’t speak English because they often find it easier to speak to someone in person rather than completing a form.
Mr Roberts added: ‘When you start losing bricks and mortar, the ability to come in and interact when you want to see a police person, that’s going to have a big impact on confidence.
Unite’s general secretary Sharon Graham (pictured) has claimed the cuts will ‘undoubtedly’ lead to a rise in crime
‘This just looks like police are retrenching, that they’re moving back, they’re taking away from the local communities.
‘The other thing on everyone’s mind is, if it’s police front counters today, then is it going to be the actual police stations tomorrow?’
Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: ‘The Met is having to shrink to live within its means and as the public would expect, we are targeting our resources on a narrower set of their priorities to make London safer.
‘Londoners tell us they want more visible and responsive policing on the capital’s streets and that is exactly what we are going to deliver.
‘But we have also listened to their views during an extensive engagement process and, while our funding gap means we must reduce provision, we will keep more front counters open across London.’
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham previously blasted the revision to the Met Police’s cost-cutting exercise.
She said: ‘The plans to close so many police station front desks is an incredibly short-sighted decision by the Metropolitan Police, which will undoubtedly lead to more crime, higher levels of crimes being unreported and increased staff stress.’
‘The fact it is forcing such serious cuts through without any consultation with Unite is completely unacceptable.
‘Unite will fight these savage cuts to services every step of the way to protect our hard-working members as well as the general public who will also suffer from this decision.’
While one front desk worker said: ‘People will just not report crimes as they have no means to. This will make the streets of London even more dangerous than they already are – more cuts equals more crime.’
Seven more front counters will remain open than under a provisional proposal, after Londoners made clear that keeping one in their area was more important than having them available 24/7.
Unite is planning a series of protests outside police stations in response to the plans.
Forensics, historic crime, mounted police and dog teams are also being cut, and the organised crime-busting Flying Squad may lose its guns.
Mr Khan sought to justify the cuts to front desks to London Assembly members during Mayor’s Question Time last month – while seemingly ducking that he had pledged to keep one open in each borough prior to being elected again.
He said closure decisions were ‘operational’ choices for the Met to make – despite intervening to save Uxbridge police station shortly before the by-election in Boris Johnson’s constituency after the former MP appealed to him to do so.
‘Any changes to the number of police front counters or their opening times is, of course, ultimately, an operational decision for the Met to take based on resources, funding and public demand for services,’ he said.
Asked why he made a promise he couldn’t keep, he retorted: ‘When the facts change, I change my mind.’
