Plumstead police station’s front counter has been saved from closure – but will no longer be open 24 hours a day after the Metropolitan Police partially rolled back its plans for cuts.
The Met announced plans to close the counter in August as part of a proposal to save £7 million from a Metropolitan Police funding gap of £260 million.
Plumstead is one of a number of stations where the counter has been reprieved after the force looked at data about how crime is reported, Sir Mark Rowley, the Met commissioner, said.
But only two police stations will be open around the clock in future: Lewisham and Charing Cross.
Stations at Plumstead, Bexleyheath and Bromley will be open from 10am to 10pm on weekdays and 9am to 7pm at weekends.
“If more money fell into our lap from the chancellor, there’s lots of other things we would spending money on – fighting knife crime, neighbourhood policing – before front counters,” Rowley told the London Assembly police and crime committee on Thursday.
“The data is clear – they’re not doing a massive amount to keep Londoners safe compared to extra police officers patrolling neighbourhoods fighting crime. Our plans have changed because of what Londoners have told us – they have said it’s more important to have counters open in more places than to have them open 24/7.
“They are a result of us engaging with Londoners in tens of events. We have to work at speed and make the savings this year. There’s a lot of heat around this issue, but no one is proposing a better idea.”
The Met say just five per cent of crimes were reported using front counters last year. However, critics of the proposals say the counters are not just used to report crime, but are often are place to seek guidance, report missing people or a site of safety for those with nowhere to go or escaping danger.
“It could have been much worse than it is, but there is still disquiet across London,” the London Assembly’s police and crime committee’s Labour chair, Marina Ahmed, said.
“We know front counters aren’t there just for reporting crime. Your officers told me about a situation where a young woman presented at a front counter at 3am with her children fleeing domestic abuse – there was nowhere else to go.”
“Someone who is looking for a place of refuge – that’s a council responsibility,” Rowley responded.
“All police stations will have phones outside that go straight to our control room – we can get police officers to them straight away.
“We will still be a 24/7 operational service – but we have big choices to make so we can keep officers on patrol on the streets where they are making the biggest impact on the public.”
The reprieve for Plumstead was welcomed by the local MP, Abena Oppong-Asare, who said: “Residents made clear how important it is to keep Plumstead police station open and accessible.
“It was important for me to make representations to the Met Police and the deputy mayor for policing and crime and I’m delighted that they have listened and confirmed the front counter in Plumstead will stay open.
“This is a positive outcome for local residents and a real example of the community’s voice being heard.”
But the cut in hours in Bexleyheath was branded “a terrible decision” by the outgoing Bexley Council leader, Baroness O’Neill, who pointed out that the town centre had clubs that were open until 2.30am.
“While we of course welcome the decision to retain the front counter, we remain concerned about the impact reduced hours may have on vulnerable individuals seeking assistance from the police and those less able to engage digitally,” she said..
“This decision will undoubtedly be seen by local people and businesses as the Met and the mayor of London taking yet more of their resources away from Bexley.”
Cuts to the police mean that the dedicated Royal Parks unit which patrolled Greenwich Park will be completely disbanded by the end of next month, while the dogs unit, mounted branch and historic crime team have also been cut back.
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