To: Sir Mark Rowley and The Mayor Sadiq Khan
Let us get our Police Station back in Richmond Surrey
I have become very concerned about the lack of policing in London over the past 13 years. Since the Conservatives have been in power and the demise of the Met Police in London. In 2010 the Metropolitan Police had 4.1 officers per 1,000 Londoners - after crippling government cuts to police spending, the ratio has now dropped to 3.3 officers per 1,000 – the lowest point for twenty years. That is a saving of £720 million delivered by the Met since 2010.
Additional information from a recent study, which finds the closure of police stations resulted in a persistent increase in violent crimes, measured as assaults and murders, of about 11%
London has been hit hard as the number of police stations fell from 153 in 2010 to just 45 in 2018. The Met Police’s current course of land strategy is that there is only one central police station per precinct (there are 32)
The effect is “sudden, persists over time, and is concentrated in blocks surrounding closed stations” – suggesting that greater distance reduces police deterrence and therefore increases the frequency of serious crimes.
Increasing distance from police stations resulted in slower response times from officers, which in turn resulted in a 3% decrease in the Metropolitan Police’s ability to conduct investigations. Interestingly, austerity measures due to budget cuts had a direct impact on house prices, with local house prices near closed police stations falling by 5%. Citizens’ reports of minor crimes also declined.
“You see the number of violent incidents that are reported by phone [where police stations have closed] down by about 40% even though incidents are increasing. People think there’s no point, the police won’t come in time.
All of this supports the case for a police station back in the town of Richmond plus more police patrolling.
Additional information from a recent study, which finds the closure of police stations resulted in a persistent increase in violent crimes, measured as assaults and murders, of about 11%
London has been hit hard as the number of police stations fell from 153 in 2010 to just 45 in 2018. The Met Police’s current course of land strategy is that there is only one central police station per precinct (there are 32)
The effect is “sudden, persists over time, and is concentrated in blocks surrounding closed stations” – suggesting that greater distance reduces police deterrence and therefore increases the frequency of serious crimes.
Increasing distance from police stations resulted in slower response times from officers, which in turn resulted in a 3% decrease in the Metropolitan Police’s ability to conduct investigations. Interestingly, austerity measures due to budget cuts had a direct impact on house prices, with local house prices near closed police stations falling by 5%. Citizens’ reports of minor crimes also declined.
“You see the number of violent incidents that are reported by phone [where police stations have closed] down by about 40% even though incidents are increasing. People think there’s no point, the police won’t come in time.
All of this supports the case for a police station back in the town of Richmond plus more police patrolling.
Why is this important?
Because Richmond is a community. And the police numbers are small and they need more support. There have been promises after promises from The Mayor about how he will get more police on the streets and make London safer. But, this is not happening.
The summer is here and Richmond has a very busy nightlife on the Green and by the River. Before any incidents happen again, please let us have a stronger police presence. Before any incidents ... not after!!!
The summer is here and Richmond has a very busy nightlife on the Green and by the River. Before any incidents happen again, please let us have a stronger police presence. Before any incidents ... not after!!!
