Cuts - now police stations are facing closure

Hackney can be a challenging place at times. Many of the public services who operate on the 'front line' do so at all times of the day and night and often in incredibly difficult circumstances. Hackney, due to it's diversity and deprivation in many places can often need more intensive levels of representation of these vital services in the community.

Part of the vital front-facing elements of policing is the ability of members of the public to have face-to-face contact. All too often, officers on patrol aren't able to spend the amount of time speaking to people and whether it is to report a lost animal, report a minor crime - or to seek advice - being able to walk into a police station and speak to a uniformed officer or member of staff. Currently Hackney has three police stations and members of the public are able to walk in off the street and speak to the police - but this may now be all about to change...

The Met Police have launched a survey to seek views about what people think about how they wish to contact the police. This is one of the means by which the Met will decide whether to restart a process that they had previously abandoned which will see them seek to sell off about two thirds of police stations in London and reduce the number of front desks and contact points. Whilst there are many reasons for doing this - the most obvious and at the forefront of this decision are the government cuts.

Residents in Hackney should be able to speak to the police - our main station is just outside the ward on Lower Clapton Road - but this will inevitably be closed under the proposals - along with the station in Shoreditch.

We understand that the police are seeking to maintain resources into frontline policing, but being seen to be open, accessible and available to all is vital - and being based within the communities in which they police is similarly vital.

This is now all at risk.

Tell the police and the Metropolitan Police Authority - chaired by Boris Johnson - that you want our police stations to be kept. Efficencies shouldn't mean the end of accessible police bases in our communities.

The police do an amazing job in Hackney and they rightly justify our support - but this proposal is nothing more than selling off the family silver to try to plug a gap in the police budget that has been created by the Mayor of London and his government - tell them what you think.

You can access the survey here.

Also, contact our Met link member - our Assembly Member Jennette Arnold - her contact details are in the right hand column of this blog.