Louie French MP's latest column in the News Shopper.
Sadiq Khan promised to protect London's police stations by retaining at least one 24-hour counter in each borough. But he's broken his promise to Londoners, and Bexleyheath Police Station will soon close overnight to the victims of crime.
Under Mayor Khan's plans, Bexleyheath Police Station's front counter will only operate from 10 am to 10 pm on weekdays and 9 am to 7 pm on weekends. The partial closure will take place in December, leaving our borough without a 24-hour police counter for the first time.
Police stations are important for public trust, offer the victims of crime a safe harbour and give vulnerable people another way to report a crime. Mayor Khan is making a huge mistake by breaking his promise and closing many of them overnight.
I've joined forces with local Bexleyheath councillors and campaigners, Cllr Bola Carew, Cllr Rags Sandhu and Hannah Gillespie to save Bexleyheath Police Station. More than 5,400 Bexley residents have already signed our petition to stop Mayor Khan's plan.
With less than a month to go until the closure, we will do everything we can to make Mayor Khan think again. Our local London Assembly Member Thomas Turrell will be standing up for Bexley residents in City Hall, and I'll be raising the matter in Parliament. If the Mayor thinks we will sit quietly as he removes yet more policing resources from Bexley, he's wrong.
It may be true that police stations are not used as often to report crimes anymore. But we also know that many people aren't reporting crime because they think nothing will happen. It's simply bizarre to remove a route for bringing information to the police when shoplifting, anti-social behaviour, and worse are going unreported.
Closing Bexleyheath Police Station's front counter overnight is also foolish, considering the town's busy nightlife. Imagine you are on Broadway for a night out and your phone, purse, or wallet is stolen. Where do you go? Or, more worryingly, if you are being followed or escaping violence at home? Police stations are important, especially at night when it’s dark, shops are closed, and nearby residential streets are quiet.
This isn't the only policing cut Mayor Khan is making. He's slashing an eye-watering £260 million from the Metropolitan Police's budget. Police liaison officers are being removed from magistrates' courts, leaving cases at risk of being thrown out for a simple filing error. Police officers will be removed from schools despite their role in tackling anti-social behaviour and knife crime. And the Safer Transport Team is being disbanded.
What we are witnessing is a betrayal. Neither Mayor Khan nor the Labour government were honest about the cuts they would make to London's police service when they were elected last year. Nor are they being straight with Londoners about what the cuts will mean to already underserved boroughs like Bexley.
It's never been more important to stand up and be heard. I encourage all residents to have their say and sign the petition to save Bexleyheath Police Station: www.savebexleyheathpolicestation.com.
