The Lambeth Labour Group has launched a petition urging the Metropolitan Police to keep Brixton Police Station’s front counter open to the public 24/7 and not reduce its hours.
Lambeth’s Labour councillors said the police station’s 24/7 counter is “vital” for the safety of residents, especially elderly people, vulnerable individuals and victims who rely on face-to-face support.
Under the plans, Brixton Police Station’s front counter would open from 10am to 10pm Monday to Friday and from 9am to 7pm on weekends. If the counter’s hours are reduced, the nearest 24/7 stations would be in Lewisham and Charing Cross.
The Met plans to close 18 front counters, 14 current 24/7 front counters, and four already-reduced front counters as it needs to close a budget gap of £260million.
The Met said its decision to reduce and close some front counters will save around £7million and would cut 3,752 hours of police office time per month.
However Lambeth Labour has called on the Met to reconsider its plans for Brixton Police Station, which it says has had no proper consultation with residents, the council or local stakeholders.
A spokesperson for the Met said they remain in the early stages of the proposals to reduce and close some of its front counters, and have engaged with stakeholders, including unions prior to a formal consultation which they said will occur when a decision is made.
Cllr Mahamed Hashi, Cabinet Member for Safer Communities at Lambeth Council, said: “Firstly, we welcome the fact that we’ve just secured extra police officers for Brixton and that we are seeing a fall in violent crime across Lambeth.
“But this isn’t the time to reduce public access to our last remaining police station. This decision affects the whole borough, the police station serves multiple busy town centres and venues across the borough, not just Brixton.”
Relatedarticles
Cllr Hashi added: “We are calling for a serious rethink of this decision and will be raising residents’ views directly with the Police, to ensure we keep Lambeth safe and secure.”
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) spoke to Mario Schifano, who owns San Marino, a popular Italian-inspired café and bar which has existed in the area for the last 35 years.
Mario said keeping the front counter open 24/7 was a “no brainer” and went on to say “Brixton is in need of a lot of help”.
The café owner grew up nearby and has seen the area change dramatically over the years.
He said: “Brixton needs to be an area where the public feel safe because when they feel safe that means more revenue is coming in, more businesses are opening up and there’s more cash for the businesses to spend on staff and employment. It’s just a full economy.”
Local resident, Anne added: “I’m very rooted in the community and I just think it would be a great pity to cut back on the hours because I actually think the police are doing a very good job.
“Not everybody is on the internet to report something, there’s all sorts of reasons to go in as somebody could find someone else’s wallet and [needs to] hand it in, to something more serious, you know, some kind of negative experience.”
Anne added: “The community in Brixton is fantastic and it’s intense. It’s lively and I love living here and I’ve lived here a long time, but I just know from my own experience it would be a real, real pity if they cut the hours back.”
When the LDRS got in touch with the Met Police, a spokesperson said: “Just 5per cent of crimes were reported using front counters last year, with only 1per 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.”
They added: “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.”
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “Nothing is more important to the Mayor than keeping Londoners safe and Sadiq is determined to support Sir Mark Rowley deliver a New Met for London with neighbourhood policing at the heart of communities.
“The proposed changes to Police Station front counters is an operational decision for the Met, based on resources, funding and public demand for services.”
They added: “The Mayor will continue to support the Met to deliver what Londoners want – boosting visible neighbourhood policing on our streets as well as having ongoing discussions with Ministers and the Commissioner about the funding the Met needs to ensure we can continue building a safer London for everyone.”
A link to Lambeth Labour’s petition can be found here.
