Met Police U-turns on Tottenham front desk closure

Although the police station’s opening hours will still be reduced, the Met has been persuaded against closing it completely

Tottenham Police Station’s front counter will remain open after the Metropolitan Police U-turned on a swathe of controversial closures across London.

The Met had previously announced that both Tottenham and Edmonton police stations would be closing to the public, among 18 in the capital that were set to be axed.

After a huge backlash over the past two months, however, the Met is scaling back its closure plans and today (Wednesday 15^th) announced that 27 front counters will be remaining open, including Tottenham and Edmonton.

While the stations currently both operate 24 hours a day, their public opening times will be reducing significantly, to 10am-10pm on weekdays and 9am-7pm on weekends.

The Met claims that even with the changes to its plans, it will still deliver the same savings of £7million, helping to close a total £260m funding gap.

It says the new model “balances the savings with the desire for local access” and that the location of front counters will now be “better aligned with the location of custody suites and demand”.

Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: “The Met is having to shrink to live within its means and as the public would expect, we are targeting our resources on a narrower set of their priorities to make London safer.

“Londoners tell us they want more visible and responsive policing on the capital’s streets and that is exactly what we are going to deliver.

“But we have also listened to their views during an extensive engagement process and, while our funding gap means we must reduce provision, we will keep more front counters open across London.”

Khan has also welcomed the news, despite it meaning his 2024 election manifesto promise to maintain a 24/7 police front counter in every London borough will still be broken.

The London mayor said: “The news that more police front counters will remain open for members of the public is welcome.

“Whilst this is an operational policing decision, this action would not have been possible without record-breaking funding from City Hall. We will continue to support the Met to deliver what Londoners want – boosting visible neighbourhood policing on our streets and making local officers more accessible in our communities.

“We want to do more to build on the record reductions in violence and homicides achieved in the capital, and I will continue to support the police and make the case to government for the funding the Met needs – to ensure we can continue building a safer London for everyone.”

At present, only 5% of crimes in London are reported at police stations, down from 22% in 2006.

The Met says the changes now proposed will free up over 2,900 hours of police officer time per month, “ensuring officers and staff are in the roles where they are best placed to drive down crime”.

Joanne McCartney, Haringey’s representative on the London Assembly, said: “I welcome the news that the Met has reconsidered its plans.

“I wrote to the commissioner and asked him to review this decision. It is great that the Met are listening and I will be looking closely at what impact the new hours may have across Enfield and Haringey. Keeping the front counters open will go a long way in ensuring police services are accessible, trustworthy and visible for everyone.

“Thank you to everyone who contacted me or has campaigned on this issue.”

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