OPINION - Do we need local police stations? As an MP attacked in my own home, I say yes

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19 hours ago

The Met recently announced plans to close more than half the police station front counters in London. As someone whose life was saved by the speedy response of local officers, the news that Wimbledon is one of those stations is a huge concern - both for the safety of my constituents and for what it says about policing across the capital. I've long warned against the slow but steady erosion of neighbourhood policing, and the Mayor of Lonon's decision to renege on his promise to ensure the Met maintains a 24/7 police station front counter in every London borough proves my point.
Under the Met's planned cuts, only a quarter of London boroughs (8 out of 32) will retain a 24/7 walk-in police service. Whilst the financial pressures the Met Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, faces are real, so too is the need for visible, accessible neighbourhood policing - as he acknowledged to me when we last met.
In Wimbledon, the move feels particularly absurd. It's a key transport interchange (for rail, tube, tram and bus) connecting South West London with central London, Surrey, and beyond.
Add to that a bustling high street, a thriving night-time economy and major venues including three theatres (one of which, the New Wimbledon Theatre, is the eighth largest in London), the Wimbledon tennis championships and the Cherry Red Records Stadium, home to newly promoted AFC Wimbledon & rugby league's London Broncos. The idea that a borough the size of Merton, and a town centre with the footfall and strategic importance of Wimbledon, no longer merits a visible 24 hour police presence is, frankly, staggering.
What's more, we're being asked to accept these closures without consultation. There's been no meaningful engagement with the public, and precious little transparency. It is policy by stealth, conducted behind closed doors, and presented to London's MPs & local politicians as a fait accompli.
We're told that crime in Wimbledon is low, as if that justifies withdrawing a key part of our police presence. But that logic is backwards. A lower crime rate doesn't mean policing is no longer necessary, but that the current policing model has merit. The very presence of the police station surely acts as a deterrent. Remove it, and we risk an increase in crime.
Whilst with shoplifting, anti-social behaviour and car theft on the increase closing our 24/7 front counter sends out exactly the wrong message to both perpetrators and victims.
It's said that technology will fill the gap, with video appointments and digital reporting taking the place of face-to-face interaction. But this is a poor substitute, especially for the digitally excluded and vulnerable victims who may not have the means, confidence, or safe space to access police help via a screen; and removes human contact at a time when people need it the most.
The consequences of this 'rationalisation' strategy should not be underestimated. I became an MP as a result of an attack in my home by four masked thugs. The rapid response of the two brave officers who rescued me just as I was about to be dispatched was only possible because they were based nearby. Remove that proximity, and we increase response times, reduce deterrence, undermine confidence and put the public in greater danger.
That's why I took the Mayor of London to court when he first suggested closing Wimbledon Police Station back in 2018. I won that particular battle, but now he's trying again - admittedly just the front counter for now, but what does that say for the long-term future of the entire station? Let's not forget Mayor Khan won his last election, blaming the Tory government for police cuts and promised things would change once he had a Labour Home Secretary with whom to work. And yet, 12 months later, things are getting worse!
Why not consider using trained volunteers or retired officers to staff front counters part-time?
No one disputes that budgets are tight. But that's no excuse for unimaginative, short-term thinking. Why not consider using trained volunteers or retired officers to staff front counters part-time? Why not open shared community hubs where the police can maintain a visible presence at lower cost? Most importantly, why not consult with residents before dismantling a service many still rely on?
Policing in Britain has always been by consent; it's about trust, visibility, and community presence. But Sir Robert Peel's 19th-century vision of a force embedded in the neighbourhoods it serves is being abandoned.
Rhetoric about safer streets means little when the front doors of police stations are being locked.
If we care about safe, resilient communities, then we must fight for the services that protect them. Let's not wait until it's gone to realise what we've lost.
Paul Kohler is the Liberal Democrat MP for Wimbledon