The Met recently announced plans to close almost half the police station front counters in London. As someone whose life was saved by the speedy response of local officers, the news that Wimbledon is one of those stations is a huge concern - both for the safety of my constituents and for what it says about policing across the capital. I’ve long warned against the slow but steady erosion of neighbourhood policing, and the Mayor of London’s decision to renege on his promise to ensure the Met maintains a 24/7 police station front counter in every London borough proves my point.
Under the Met’s planned cuts, only a quarter of London boroughs (8 out of 32) will retain a 24/7 walk-in police service. Whilst the financial pressures the Met Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, faces are real, so too is the need for visible, accessible neighbourhood policing - as he acknowledged to me when we last met.
