Have Your Say About the Closure Of The Local Police Station

Consultation starts on the new policing strategy

Mayor Sadiq Khan has published draft plans to close police front counters in London and provide other ways to contact the Met online.

With Chiswick only averaging 1.2 crimes reported to the police station daily (compared to 5.3 at Hounslow, which is staying open) this is the chance for local people to make their voice heard about the closure of the station on Chiswick High Road. Borough Commander Raj Kohli will be making a presentation on the matter at the Chiswick Area Forum meeting on September 26, Chiswick Town Hall, at 7pm.

As a result of Government funding cuts, since 2010, the Met Police have had to find £600m of savings and must save a further £400m by 2020. It is claimed that there is a growing public demand to be able to access Met Police services online, and that closing front counters would save £10million that could be spent instead on frontline policing.

The public is being asked to respond to the strategy either by answering the questions or by making comments (see below)

The police website met.police.uk has been relaunched to make it easier to report crimes online. Over the last three years around 70%% of crimes is reported on the phone.

Question 1: Do you agree that the Metropolitan Police Service should do more to communicate online?

The Mayor of London wants at least 2 police officers working in each ward of London. They are called Dedicated Ward Officers. The proposal for them is to be based in 150 hubs across London covering 4-5 wards each.

Question 2: Can you think of a good place to have a Dedicated Ward Officer Hub?

Contact Points to be changed to Community Contact Sessions which will be more flexible, arranged to suit the local community; in each ward close to local people.

Question 3: Is it right to replace Contact points with Community Contact Sessions?

Question 4: How could Community Contact Sessions help your community?

Every school to have a Safer Schools Officer.

Fewer people are reporting crimes at front counters. Every borough should have one police station open all the time but money can be saved by closing others. Hounslow police station is to stay with 5.3 crimes reported daily but Chiswick is to close with 1.2 crimes reported daily.

Question 5: Do you agree that other more flexible ways to contact the police (like Community Contact Sessions) is better than than keeping front counters?

Question 6: Have you anything else to say about more flexible ways to contact the police?

Question 7: We are planning to move some front counters to save money. Do you agree with this?

Question 8: Should we look at low-cost alternatives to front counters where some people live more than 45 minutes from their nearest counter?

Some custody suites aren't fully used so it is proposed to reduce them from 32 to 26.

The police want more contact with all the different communities of people, including people who are hard to reach.

Question 9: How can we get in touch with hard to reach communities and help them to speak up about policing issues?

Question 10: How can we help local people know more about the different local groups that communicate with the police for their local communities?

Question 11: How can the Metropolitan Police work more closely with local councils when they ask local people what they think about certain things?

Question 12: What type of information would help communities understand more about policing and crime in their area?

Question 13: What type of information would help communities protect themselves against crime and anti-social behaviour? What is the best way to give this information?

Question 14: Some people worry too much about crime. How should the
police reassure people about crime?

Question 15: How can communities be reassured about crime and policing in their area?

Question 16: How can we empower local citizens to influence Borough and Ward-level policing?

Question 17: What training would local people need to be able to help the police to reduce crime or anti-social behaviour in their area?

Download the draft strategy or a shorter version from where these questions were taken. Review the Impact Assessment - it investigates how the draft strategy affects different groups of Londoners

Respond to the consultation by online questionnaire, email to Consultation@mopac.london.gov.uk or by post to

Public Access Consultation
The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime
City Hall, More London
Queen’s Walk
London
SE1 2AA

There are two public consultation events in Hounslow:

At Chiswick Area Forum, Chiswick Town Hall, 7pm 26th September.

At The Civic Centre, Lampton Road, 7-9pm 27th September.

September 19, 2017