Southwark (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Southwark’s last 24/7 police front counter at Walworth Station will lose its full hours, as the Met announces ten more London desk closures.
As of right now, the public can only report crimes to an officer at the Southwark Walworth Police Station between 10:00 and 22:00 on weekdays and 09:00 and 19:00 on weekends.
The number of front desks open around-the-clock in London is being reduced from 37 to 27.
Lewisham and Charing Cross will be the only two that are open around-the-clock.
As the Met attempts to close a £260 million budget deficit, the cost-cutting measures have been revealed. It is expected that the closing of front counters will save £7 million.
Initially, the Met intended to cut the number of front counters from 27 to 19.
Although it was disclosed in August that the front desk of the Walworth police station had been spared from the cuts, City Hall consistently denied the Southwark Liberal Democrats guarantees that it would continue to operate around-the-clock.
A previous manifesto promise to maintain a police front counter in each of the 32 London boroughs has allegedly been broken by Sadiq Khan, who oversees the Met’s budget.
Just 5% of crimes are reported through front counters, according to the Met, which has defended the plans by claiming that the closures would let officers to be re-deployed inside communities.
According to the force, the modifications will result in 2,900 hours of police officer time being freed up each month.
Assistant commissioner of the Met Matt Twist said:
“The Met is having to shrink to live within its means and as the public would expect, we are targeting our resources on a narrower set of their priorities to make London safer.”
The Southwark Liberal Democrats, who previously launched a petition to save Walworth from the cuts, described the move as “devastating” and suggested it could harm women and vulnerable groups.
Victor Chamberlain, the leader of the local opposition grouping, said:
“The confirmation that Southwark’s last remaining police front counter will now effectively be closing after dark will come as devastating news to our community.
Police stations are often a vital safe haven for women and vulnerable groups – so to shutter the doors at night will actively put people in harms way.
This is a betrayal of Londoners by Sadiq Khan, who just last year promised a 24/7 front counter in every borough and shows beyond doubt that Labour cannot be trusted on community safety.”
The Met has announced a series of cost-cutting initiatives in recent months, including the decision to eliminate several front counters. Earlier this year, the Met also revealed plans to reduce its workforce by 1,700 officers and personnel.
Schools officers, police liaison officers in courts, and community liaison officers were moved to neighborhood teams as part of a reorganization that was started earlier this year.
The Met is shifting 700 employees and 4,800 policemen into other positions. By December 2025, half of all officer and staff transfers will have occurred, with the remaining half occurring by March 2026.
In the 12 months leading up to March 2025 16,344 knife attacks were recorded by the Met and the City of London Police an increase from 14,939 in the previous year.
However, homicides went down by nine per cent to 104 killings, compared to 114 the year before and violence against the person was also down by six per cent – but theft was up by 28 per cent.
Placing a more optimistic spin on the announcement by focusing on the reduction from the original 19 planned closures, Mayor Sadiq Khan, said:
“The news that more police front counters will remain open – with extended opening hours – for members of the public is welcome.
Whilst this is an operational policing decision, this action would not have been possible without record-breaking funding from City Hall. We will continue to support the Met to deliver what Londoners want – boosting visible neighbourhood policing on our streets and making local officers more accessible in our communities.
We want to do more to build on the record reductions in violence and homicides achieved in the capital, and I will continue to support the police and make the case to government for the funding the Met needs – to ensure we can continue building a safer London for everyone.”
The front desks set to close entirely are:
- Barking Learning Centre, Barking and Dagenham
- Chingford, Waltham Forest
- Church Street, Westminster
- Harrow
- Kensington, Kensington and Chelsea
- Mitcham, Merton
- Pinner (volunteer)
- Royalty Studios, Kensington and Chelsea
- Twickenham, Richmond
- Wimbledon, Merton
How will the reduced Walworth hours affect local crime reporting?
The shortening of hours at the front counter at Walworth Police Station from 24/7 to specific, limited hours will likely impact the ability of local crime victims to report crime, especially those who need or prefer face-to-face contact with officers.
The Metropolitan Police has indicated there has been a significant decrease in personal reporting of crime it estimates only about 5% of crime is reported in person the significant amount of police reports are being made online or over the phone and even through direct contact with officers. It raises questions nonetheless.
Groups such as the elderly, the disabled, or those who do not have access to the internet may struggle to access police services as quickly as they used to, if they do report any crime at all. It may also limit walk-in access for advice and immediate assistance for victims of crime.
