Public Access Strategy cuts would leave just one front counter open in borough

Fulham Police Station's front counter will be permanently closed under plans confirmed this week by London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

The front counter is currently open for limited hours in a portacabin behind the former police station in Heckfield Place, which was closed last year after being sold by the Metropolitan Police for £20 million.

Work has now begun converting the former station into the permanent home of The Fulham Boys School, and there were plans to incorporate a new police front counter within the redeveloped building.

Artist's impression of the new Fulham Boys School

However, on Wednesday 1 November, The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan confirmed plans to reduce the number of police front counters in London, with just one remaining open in most boroughs, as part of a new Public Access Strategy.

In Hammersmith and Fulham, the only front counter open around the clock is currently in Shepherd's Bush while Hammersmith Station is being redeveloped. However, once redevelopment is completed in 2019, it would move back to Hammersmith Station in Shepherd's Bush Road.

The Mayor's report says that just 8% of crimes were reported at police front counters in 2016, down from 22% in 2006, and this number continues to fall.

Since 2010, the Met's budget has been reduced by £600 million. A further £400 million of savings have to be found by 2021. Yet the opportunities to generate more income or make substantial savings are diminishing as the force has been cut to the bone, and unless the Government's funding cuts stop now officer numbers could fall below 27,500 by 2021 - a 19-year low.

Reducing the number of front counters, days the Mayor could save an additional £8 million – equivalent to the cost of 140 police constables – in order to protect and support frontline policing as much as possible, and keep Londoners safe, in the face of Government cuts to police funding.

As well as maintaining one 24/7 police front counter service in every borough, the final plans include the following measures:

Police officers will patrol in crime hotspot areas so they can reach the scene of emergencies quickly – police officers rarely respond to incidents from police stations or bases, but respond from where they are patrolling in vehicles in the community.

London’s Dedicated Ward Officers – whose numbers the Mayor is doubling by the end of this year - will be based at new hubs far closer to their local ward and the community they patrol, making them more visible and accessible. They will hold new well-advertised community sessions every week in every ward. These will be in well used, high footfall locations – such as leisure centres and local authority buildings - to provide a more flexible and convenient way for Londoners to engage with their local officers.

More focus on telephone services – which account for 70% reporting.

A new online reporting service launched for testing in March and which has already delivered a 350% rise in online reporting, with 1,200 reports a week made during its initial phase.

New technology will allow police officers to spend more time on the beat in their communities, where they will be on hand to tackle the issues that matter most to Londoners, such as knife crime, anti-social behaviour, hate crime and extremism, and domestic abuse.

Sadiq Khan, said: "The drastic nature of Government cuts to policing budgets has left us with no choice but to take drastic action and make some very difficult decisions.

"Keeping Londoners safe is my number-one priority, and supporting officers out on the beat in our communities is more important than keeping open buildings that are simply not used by the vast majority of the public, and where just eight per cent of crimes are reported.

"Nevertheless, I understand and share some of the very legitimate concerns of Londoners about these closures. That is why we held the widest possible consultation with public meetings in every London borough and we have listened very carefully to the feedback.

"I am confident that these final plans maintain the best possible service for Londoners, and will provide the access to the police that they need – especially in an emergency. The combination of one 24/7 front counter in every borough, more dedicated local officers in better contact with the communities they serve, and a significantly improved online service will mean that Londoners are able to contact the police in the way that suits them best.

"The fact is that as a result of government cuts, police officer numbers are falling, and every pound spent keeping a police station open is a pound that would otherwise need to be found by cutting police officer numbers even further. That is why, at a time of crime rising nationally and the terrorism threat we face, I continue to call on Ministers to urgently end the police funding crisis."

Cressida Dick, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said: "I fully share the Mayor’s commitment to keeping Londoners safe, and the men and women of the Met work tirelessly to deliver that commitment. I am confident that these changes will not impact on our ability to deliver this.

"We know that the ways in which the public want to contact us have changed, so we absolutely must continue to transform, focusing on serving the public as best we can. Of course we know there will be some people who need to speak to a police officer face to face, and there are still many ways in which they can do that.

"The most effective place for our officers to be is out on the streets. Be that on patrol responding to the public, proactively out tackling crime on operations or in their communities forging stronger, better links gaining vital local information.

"We must be a modern forward looking organisation, with better, more effective technology so we can equip our staff to do their jobs whilst on the beat. This is not simply about the constraints on our budget, but future proofing how we deliver front line policing and the difficult choices we face."

November 3, 2017