THE police office is now closed to the public" reads a sign on a run-down building in Walthamstow high street. For anyone who wants to speak to the police, it suggests Chingford, roughly four miles away, and adds: "Please call 999 if you have an emergency." A shopkeeper a few doors down shrugs. "It's been closed for a long time," he says. A bigger station nearby shut in 2011, following an arson attack.
They are two of more than 100 police stations that have been closed in London over the past decade and a half. So forgotten are the capital's police stations that Westminster councillors last month granted planning permission to demolish a former site in Savile Row, and replace it with a development that will include an academy for apprentice tailors.
In 2008, London had 156 open police station counters. But the Standard can reveal that the number is now 36, meaning more than 75 per cent have closed. For comparison, the city has around 180 branches of McDonald's. Many stations have been sold, while a few have become staff use only. The figure is set to go even lower, with a plan to have only one in each of the 32 boroughs. A new academic study suggests the closures have led to a significant negative effect on the most serious crimes.
The closures have doubled the average distance to the nearest police station for Londoners - from about a mile to roughly two. Around the country, more than 600 out of 900 police stations in England have shut. However, London has been hit the hardest.
Opinions differ on who is responsible.
In their mayoral campaigns, successive Tory candidates Shaun Bailey and Susan Hall both blamed Mayor Sadiq Khan, and posed outside police stations that he had supposedly closed. However, only 73 police stations were still open when Khan became Mayor-most were shut under predecessor Boris Johnson.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 18, 2024-Ausgabe von Evening Standard.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 18, 2024-Ausgabe von Evening Standard.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Don't Want Botox? Then Try These Alternatives
From microcurrents to lasers, there are other ways to tackle ageing skin, says Madeleine Spencer
It's high time the Borthwick regime delivers on promise
England boss needs a statement win and the All Blacks are up first
Bukayo Saka
The making of a London icon
Even Ridley Scott thinks our big screens are epic
Outernet is now one of London's top attractions --but the man behind it isn't resting on his laurels
Laura Bailey on why Margate is her favourite escape in the UK
Incredible light, sea air, galleries galore and only two hours from Victoria: it's the model and photographer's dreamland...
The Old Operating Theatre
St Thomas Street, SE1
Can drugs like Ozempic really help to getthe economy firing again?
Labour's plan to give the unemployed weight-loss jabs may have unintended consequences, reports William Hosie
AI is the new frontier of perfumery...But just how fragrantare these scents?
Choosing a signature scent is a highly personal experience. Not only do preferences differ greatly, but certain perfumes react differently depending on your skin. Bergamot top notes may be intoxicating on one person's wrist, but seem soapy on another.
Is it time to ditch the apps and embrace the science of love at first sight?
The chemistry of love isn't just a romantic ideal - it's a scientific reality, discovers
A poetic puzzlebox
This lyrical novel sets out to dazzle and terrify