Met Police to close half its 24/7 front desks
Only 19 Metropolitan Police counters will remain open across the capital, down from 37, with only eight operating around the clock.
The Met insisted most Londoners use their phones to flag crimes, with only five per cent of crimes reported at front counters.
But sources inside City Hall say frontline officers were left blindsided by the move, finding out about the cuts just hours before the official announcement.
Police chiefs said the decision was necessary to 'protect other services' as the force tried to plug the funding gap.
Gareth Roberts, the Liberal Democrat Assembly member, blamed 'Labour's refusal to properly fund policing in the capital'.
Susan Hall, the Conservative Assembly member, said she was 'apoplectic' and described the decision as 'Sadiq Khan's callous choice to underfund our Met Police'.
She said it means Londoners will 'lose another avenue to report the crime they experience'.
It comes just weeks after Selina Scott, the former ITV News at Ten anchor, was assaulted and robbed in central London.
She said she couldn't find a police officer to report the crime to, adding: 'I resolved to find a police officer, but despite walking up and down some of London's busiest central areas – down Jermyn Street, along Piccadilly and over to Leicester Square – I saw none.'
The Met said the proposals would help free up officers for street patrols and neighbourhood policing, with more PCSOs and officers planned.
But with just one counter per basic command unit – covering three boroughs at a time – there are fears that many Londoners will be left without reasonable access to in-person police contact.
The move has drawn sharp condemnation from the Conservatives and some Labour members.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said it was an example of 'a Labour Government and Labour Mayor trashing policing in London'.
He added: 'Labour has shut down half the public counters where people can speak to the police face-to-face and forced the Met to cut 1,500 officers this financial year alone. This is not backing our police, it's dismantling frontline policing when communities need it most.
'Now, over 1,800 more police jobs are on the line because of Labour's reckless police funding decisions. The message is clear – Labour won't back our police and they won't back action to cut crime.
'A Labour Government and Labour Mayor are trashing policing in London. Conservatives left behind record ever police numbers but now Labour is letting down the police and exposing the public to risk from dangerous criminals.'
Len Duvall, the Labour Assembly chairman, said that the announcement 'goes to the heart of trust and confidence in the Met' whilst calling for the decision to be urgently reconsidered.
A spokesperson for the Met said: 'Given the Met's budget shortfall and shrinking size, it is no longer sustainable to keep all front counters open. That's why we have taken the tough choice to pursue some closures and a reduction in hours, 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: 'Any change to the number of police front counters or their opening times is an operational decision for the Met, based on resources, funding and public demand for services.'
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