Harrow (Parliament Politics Magazine) – The Mayor faces backlash over a broken crime pledge as nearly half of London’s police counters, including Harrow, are set to close under new cost-cutting plans.
The Mayor of London promised to “ensure the Met is able to effectively respond to the public, including maintaining a 24-hour police front office counter in every borough” in his platform before the election last year.
Only 20 counters remain open throughout the capital, as the Metropolitan Police have now confirmed that 18 of the 37 will be closed, with one counter in Wood Green, Haringey, reopening.
In an attempt to close a £260 million funding gap, Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist informed the London Assembly today that the action will save the force £7 million.
He defended the closures by claiming that, “as people have shifted to the use of phones and online means,” the percentage of crimes reported at station counters has drastically decreased to just 5%.
Twist added:
“At some front counters, we see less than two and a half crimes a day reported. At the busiest, in Charing Cross, we see 15 crimes.
The average is four crimes a day reported across three shifts, which are often staffed by two people. We’ve made deliberate choices to protect neighbourhood policing and services that matter most to Londoners.
Whilst we are shrinking overall, we are changing the shape of our organisation to better serve the public and meet increasing demands for policing.
This is about making the Met more accessible and visible in neighbourhoods at a time when the organisation is shrinking – and to do so, we need to cut the pie a bit differently. We are making the decision to reduce an underused resource to allow us to continue to strengthen neighbourhood policing teams.”
In lieu of the Mayor of London, Assistant Commissioner Twist and Kaya Comer-Schwartz, the Deputy Mayor of London for Policing and Crime, were sent to answer questions during today’s unusual plenary session at City Hall about the closures.
Thomas Turrell, a member of the Conservative Assembly, questioned whether the Mayor’s pledge in the previous year’s platform was “irresponsible.”
Comer-Schwartz said:
“The Mayor’s manifesto is clear about the importance of restoring visible neighbourhood policing and building safer, more confident communities in London.
The Mayor has shown a dedication to keeping Londoners safe.”
Edmonton, Harrow, Kensington, and Chingford were among the 14 full-time counter closures; four more that were already running with shortened hours would also close.
According to Twist, the action will also result in a monthly savings of 3,752 hours for police officers. Currently, non-specialist employees must cover front desk shifts that Public Access Officers are unable to staff.
When determining which ones to close, the Met considered front counter demand, geographic dispersion and accessibility, and operational alignment with investigative teams and custody suites.
Twist acknowledged that a shortage of cash had caused Khan’s front counter pledge—which was also part of the New Met for London plan—to be broken.
“We could not have forseen that two years ago, when New Met for London 1 was written, the scale of the gap was going to be as big as it was at the end of 2024,”
he said.
“Savings have to be made somewhere – this is the least worst option. Looking at the overall financial picture, which is really challenging – if we can save £7million by reducing a service for which demand has reduced significantly over the last decade, that seems like the right thing to do.”
He said Londoners will still have the option of using stations which have their front counters closed to make a phone call.
Conservative leader Susan Hall accused Khan of being a “coward” by sending his Deputy Mayor to face the London Assembly, adding:
“He made a promise that he would have a 24/7 police station in every BCU, he has always said he will keep them open.”
Later, Comer-Schwartz, who admitted she found out about the scale of the cuts “in June or July”, could not give a guarantee every borough will retain at least one police station.
Liberal Democrat Assembly Member Hina Bokhari responded:
“It begs the question really, what is the point of having a deputy mayor for policing and crime if you are not going to intervene on behalf of Londoners when these massive changes are being proposed.”
Reform UK Assembly Member Alex Wilson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service:
“Having a visible and accessible counter in each borough was a manifesto pledge – it’s a sorry situation to do this for the amount of money this will save.
London is lawless – yet Sadiq Khan’s response is to close half of London’s Met Police front desks.
The Mayor not being here underlines the contempt with which he holds the Assembly.”
A Met spokesperson said:
“Just five per cent of crimes were reported using front counters last year, with only one per cent 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 £7million 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.”
The Met Police confirmed the following police station front counters will be shut:
1. Kentish Town (Camden)
2. Tottenham (Haringey)
3. Edmonton (Enfield) – replaced by Wood Green**
4. Harrow (Harrow)
5. Bethnal Green (Tower Hamlets)
6. Dagenham (Barking and Dagenham)
7. Chingford (Waltham Forest)
8. Kensington (Kensington & Chelsea)
9. Hammersmith (Hammersmith & Fulham)
10. Twickenham (Richmond)
11. Lavender Hill (Wandsworth)
12. Wimbledon (Merton)
13. Hayes (Hillingdon)
14. Plumstead (Greenwich)
A further four currently reduced front counters will close.
15. Barking Learning Centre (Barking and Dagenham)
16. Church Street (Westminster)
17. Royalty Studios (Kensington and Chelsea)
18. Mitcham (Merton)
The 20 police station front desks which will remain open
1. Romford
2. Charing Cross
3. Acton
4. Brixton
5. Lewisham
6. Bromley
7. Sutton
8. Islington
9. Wembley
10. Colindale
11. bStoke Newington
12. Ilford
13. Forest Gate – Stratford will remain as temporary front counter until Forest Gate reopens
14. Kingston
15. Hounslow
16. Walworth
17. Bexleyheath
18. Croydon
19. Wood Green – currently closed as front counter but proposed to re-open
20. Pinner – is a volunteer site opening limited hours and will remain
How will London residents’ safety be affected by the counter closures?
Evidence from similar closures shows that removing physical police stations can lead to increases in certain crimes, especially opportunistic ones like car thefts and residential burglaries, because the diminished visible police presence reduces the perceived risk for criminals.
Police counters provide a tangible symbol of safety and community policing. Their closure can erode residents’ feelings of security and public trust in the police, potentially increasing fear of crime even if some crime categories don’t rise immediately.
The shift to online and phone reporting—while popular overall—disadvantages vulnerable populations such as the elderly, those with disabilities, or individuals lacking digital access who rely on face-to-face interaction to report crimes or seek help.