Give us answers over police closures, councillor tells Mayor

Ian Cooper Thursday, October 25, 2012
7:25 AM

A Haringey councillor has demanded a guarantee from the Mayor of London over the future of three of the borough’s police stations.

The stations in Hornsey, St Ann’s and Muswell Hill are under threat of closure, with Boris Johnson last week refusing to rule out the possibility of widespread counter-closures in the area as a result of the £380 million savings required in London’s police budget.

The Mayor added he could only guarantee a single 24-7 police station per borough, while the Metropolitan Police are looking at an alternative of ‘public access points’.

Haringey’s cabinet member for Communities Richard Watson says residents are deserving of answers to their questions as he demanded assurances from the Mayor.

“With the mayor now refusing to guarantee the future of our local police counters, residents are entitled to some answers,” he said.

“The closure of police stations in Hornsey, Muswell Hill and St. Ann’s would undermine community safety and the peace of mind of local families.

“The Government’s approach to police reforms is looking more and more shambolic every day - leaving only one major police counter in Haringey would clearly be a step too far.”

Cuts in government funding have led to 1,444 police officers being axed in London over a two-year period.