Mayor Sadiq Khan is proposing to close the 24/7 public desk at Lavender Hill Police
Station. This is the last remaining police counter in the borough following the closure of Wandsworth Police station 1 to the public in 2017 and the total closure of Tooting Police Station2 in 2020, both by Sadiq Khan.
Victims of crime would have to travel either to Hammersmith, Brixton or Kingston to see
the police in person. This latest closure comes despite Mayor Sadiq Khan’s promise to keep it open during his election campaign in 2024. A local 24/7 police counter is important. For some of the most serious and sensitive crimes, victims understandably want to speak to the police in person.
We’re already seeing the hollowing out of local police teams and far too many instances of
our police being taken out of the area (so-called “abstractions”) and sent elsewhere. This
will only increase with the closure of yet another local police station.
The need for a local police station is greater than ever due to crime rising sharply. Data from the Metropolitan Police shows theft from the person has nearly doubled in just two years – from 57,472 cases in 2022, to 72,713 in 2023, and a staggering 102,551 in 2024. Shoplifting has also more than doubled over the same period – from 38,160 cases in 2022, to 57,476 in 2023, and now 88,374 in 2024 3.
Locally, crime has become even more concerning for residents. The area around Clapham Junction has become one of the Borough’s hotspots for antisocial behaviour, and residents are already reporting feeling less safe. Putney High Street recorded 576 crimes in 2024 making it the second-highest crime hotspot in the borough, along with 276 incidents of anti-social behaviour4.
The Met have also recently announced Tooting High Street as one of London’s crime hotspots and priority areas. These account for nearly a quarter of all thefts from the person across the capital, 10% of knife crime and 6% of all calls about anti-social behaviour5 and recently hit national headlines earlier this year due to its level of crime.
This isn’t the first time Lavender Hill Police Station has been at risk. Many residents will remember that plans, by Sadiq Khan, to close the desk were previously dropped in 2021, partly thanks to fierce opposition by the then-Conservative Council.
Wandsworth Conservatives campaigned to save Lavender Hill Police Station from Labour in 2021.
“The proposed closure of the front desk at Lavender Hill Police Station is a clear breach of a promise Labour made at the last election.
It comes at the worst possible time, when concerns about crime are only increasing. Wandsworth Conservatives have saved this police station from Labour’s cuts before, and we’ll fight this latest closure attempt every step of the way.”
Cllr. Caroline de la Soujeole, Conservative Spokesperson for Community Safety
We need your help, once again, to fight this closure. Please sign our petition to oppose Sadiq Khan and Labour’s plans, which we will submit to the Mayor of London, which you can find below.
- 1
https://www.wandsworthguardian.co.uk/news/15743536.wandsworth-police-station-front-counter-to-close-this-week-amid-cuts/
- 2
https://www.wandsworthguardian.co.uk/news/18756196.tooting-police-station-will-close-october/
- 3
https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/metropolitan.police.service/viz/MonthlyCrimeDataNewCats/Coversheet
- 4
https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/documents/b25859/Cumulative Impact Assessment Wandsworth Paper No. 25-31 29th-Jan-2025 18.30 Licensing Committee.pdf?T=9
- 5
https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/25305046.south-west-london-crime-hotspots-high-streets/
