Met Police to close half its front desks following budget cuts

The Metropolitan Police plans to close half the front desks at its stations to save money, the BBC has learned.

The move would reduce the number of counters across London from 37 to 19, reducing places where people can walk in and speak to an officer face-to-face at their local police station.

The plan would break a pledge to have a counter staffed 24/7 in each of the capital's 32 boroughs.

A Met Police spokesperson said consultation was underway but no changes would be made until later this year, adding: "Given the Met's budget shortfall and shrinking size, it is no longer sustainable to keep all front counters open."

The Met covers all parts of London apart from the Square Mile covered by the City of London Police.

Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley last month took the unusual step of warning Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer that police forces would face "stark choices" about which crimes to investigate if their budgets were cut.

Concern about funding was such that Home Secretary Yvette Cooper took negotiations with Treasury to the wire, ending up as the last cabinet minister to agree her department's spending.

Labour made manifesto commitments to halve violence against women and girls as well as knife crime.

At the same time, the Met has been struggling with a widespread loss of trust in its officers, particularly among women, following the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer.

There were further revelations about entrenched misogyny and racism, leading to the force attempting to rebuild trust with Londoners with a two-year plan making fresh commitments on community policing, in its A New Met for London strategy.

A key commitment was to have at least one 24/7 front counter in each of London's 32 boroughs to make it easier for people to report crime.

But the BBC has seen leaked plans for the Met Police that show only eight counters will remain open 24/7, and there will also be reduced hours at 11 front counters, closing at 10pm weekdays and 7pm weekends.

A Met Police spokesperson defended the plans, saying: "That's why we have taken the tough choice to pursue some closures and a reduction in hours – allowing us to focus resources relentlessly on tackling crime and putting more officers into neighbourhoods across London."

The spokesperson added that 5% of crimes were reported at front counters in the last year, "with the vast majority of Londoners doing it over the phone, online, or in person with officers elsewhere".

With nearly a million crimes (948,241) reported to the Met in 2024 excluding fraud according to the latest government figures, that adds up to just under 50,000 crimes (47,412) reported at existing front counters.

The Home Office declined to comment. The Mayor of London has been contacted for comment.

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