Save Lambeth Police Stations - Put people first

This petition had 477 supporters

The Issue

The Labour Mayor, supported by the Labour councillors in Lambeth, has decided to cut police stations and police bases across Lambeth.

We are extremely concerned by the Mayor's plans. We believe visible community-based policing is vital to tackling crime, and provides reassurance and support to residents and victims of crime, especially at a time when London has seen a rise in serious violence and terrorist attacks.

Brixton station would remain as the only publicly accessible station to report crimes in the borough. The following stations and bases would close:

Kennington (Station)
Streatham (Station)
Loughborough Junction (Police Office/ Box)
Cobalt Square (Office)
Clement Avenue (Safer Neighbourhood base)
Coldharbour Lane (Safer Neighbourhood base)
Norwood Road (Safer Neighbourhood base)
Cavendish Road (Police Station/ Annex, no public access)

In 2013, Mr Khan asserted that changes to the structure of policing in London were decided by the Mayor, and criticised changes made by Boris Johnson. Now, as Mayor, Sadiq Khan pretends that the decision to close police stations and police buildings is nothing to do with him. Meanwhile Labour councillors in Lambeth have done nothing to lobby the Mayor to reverse his decision.

We call on the Mayor of London and the Labour elite in Lambeth to reconsider their cuts to the police service and keep our police contact points open.  

avatar of the starter
Cllr Tim Briggs, Conservative Councillor, Lambeth CouncilPetition Starter
Media enquiries

The Decision Makers

Sadiq Khan
Sadiq Khan
Mayor of London
Responded
“Dear Petitioner, On behalf of the Mayor of London, we would like to thank you for your petition. The closures you refer to were part of a broader set of proposals intended to save an additional £8 million – equivalent to the cost of 140 police constables –to protect and support frontline policing as much as possible. As you are probably already aware, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) have now published the final Public Access Strategy, which can be accessed here. The measures set out in this Strategy are part of our plan to do everything possible to protect front line policing and keep London safe at a time of unprecedented pressure on the MPS’s budget. Since 2010, the Met’s budget has been reduced by £600 million. A further £400 million of savings have to be found by 2021 and unless the Government’s funding cuts stop now, officer numbers could fall below 27,500 by then – the lowest number in nearly 20 years. Just eight per cent of crimes were reported at police front counters in 2016, down from 22 per cent in 2006, and this number continues to fall. Every pound that is spent keeping a police station open is a pound that would otherwise need to be found from further cuts to police officer numbers. In Lambeth specifically, as per original proposals, the 24/7 front counter will remain at Brixton. The front counters at Streatham and Kennington will be closed this month (December). The existing Safer Neighbourhood Bases will also be closed and we are identifying other new Dedicated Ward Officer (DWO) Hubs across the borough from which local officers can deploy. This decision will bring officers closer to communities. In line with our commitment to increasing DWO numbers, it is essential that these officers are based as near to the communities they serve as possible, so that they spend as much time as possible in their patch, building relations with residents and tackling the crime and antisocial behaviour problems that concern their communities most. We are working on a general rule that DWOs should begin their shift no more than 20 minutes walking time away from the ward they patrol, with many much closer.   The Strategy states that in general, and unless the lease costs are prohibitive or suitable alternative accommodation can be found without overly impacting on travel times, Safer Neighbourhood Bases or other buildings from which neighbourhood teams deploy, will not close before the relevant DWO Hubs have opened. We acknowledge the concerns you have raised via this petition. However, given the favourable operational reasons for maintaining Brixton police station, the proposal remains to close these police buildings. It is important that the community is also aware that the Met have confirmed that while the front counter at Streatham police station will be closed from this month (December 2017) - in order to reduce running costs - the building will retain a police presence until 2024.  Yours sincerely, Public Liaison Officer Greater London Authority”

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Petition created on 12 August 2017