Unmesh Desai says that access to “bricks and mortar” stations brings more benefits than low crime reporting stats suggest, reports Kamail Jaffer, Local Democracy Reporter

Labour assembly member Unmesh Desai (inset) is calling for City Hall to save police station front desks

A Labour London Assembly member has broken ranks to urge Sir Sadiq Khan and the Metropolitan Police to drop plans to close 18 police station front counters across the capital.

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.

Last Wednesday (6th) the Metropolitan Police proposed that 18 front counters, including Bethnal Green, will be closed.

They say shutting the “underused” resource will save £7million, thousands of hours of police time and free up officers to beef up neighbourhood policing.

But Desai has warned that the proposal would significantly undermine community confidence in policing in Tower Hamlets and other affected boroughs – and urged the mayor 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.”

Among those police stations set to lose their front counters are Edmonton, Tottenham and Chingford, although a new one will also be created in Wood Green to serve the Met’s north area command in Enfield and Haringey boroughs. The nearest front desk to Waltham Forest borough would be at Forest Gate in Newham. Meanwhile, Barnet currently looks set to keep the borough’s only front desk at Colindale Police Station.

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 £7m 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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