A Labour London Assembly Member has broken ranks to urge Sadiq Khan to press the Metropolitan Police over plans to close a police station front counter in his constituency.
Unmesh Desai, who represents City and East, said the closure of the 24-hour front counter at Bethnal Green Police Station would have a “devastating” impact on his community.
On Wednesday the Met Police proposed that 18 front counters, including Bethnal Green, will be closed.
They say shutting the “underused” resource will save £7 million, thousands of hours of police time and free up officers to beef up neighbourhood policing.
But Mr Desai has warned that the proposal would significantly undermine community confidence in policing in Tower Hamlets – and urged the Mayor of London to intervene.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The impact would be devastating. Police say only 5% of crime is reported at front counters – but they don’t record non-crime related issues.
“Two front counter officers I spoke to said they deal with all sorts that they don’t record – vulnerable people who need help, for example. It becomes like a bed and breakfast for people who wouldn’t be safe on the streets overnight.
“I strongly believe that each borough should have a 24/7 front counter service – it is a case of symbolism, like having bricks and mortar post offices and banks. The Met have got to rethink this. A £7million saving in the context of £260million is not enough – and we can’t put a price on community confidence.
“This whole process could have been handled much better – some staff haven’t even been spoken to about the changes. The Mayor should use his office to ask the Met to reassess this move.”
In a joint letter to Deputy Mayor Comer-Schwartz, who is reponsible for policing, and Assistant Met Commissioner Matt Twist, Mr Desai and Tower Hamlets Councillor Sirajul Islam urged the Met to take Bethnal Green off their proposed list.
They wrote: “This decision threatens the vital, face-to-face service that countless residents depend on.
“Many of our residents, particularly older people, those with disabilities, and individuals for whom English is not their first language, rely on this direct accessibility to report incidents, seek advice, and build the trust necessary for effective neighbourhood policing.
“Removing this provision risks isolating vulnerable Londoners at a time when local concerns over knife crime and antisocial behaviour are growing.”
A Met spokesperson said: “Just 5% of crimes were reported using front counters last year, with only 1% of these being made during the night. At the busiest front counter in London, on average 15 crimes are reported a day – less than one an hour – and in the least busy, only 2.5 crimes are reported a day.
“Londoners tell us they want to see more officers on our streets. The decision to reduce and close some front counters will save £7 million and 3,752 hours of police officer time per month allowing us to focus resources relentlessly on tackling crime and putting more officers into neighbourhoods across London.”
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