Loss of Borough's Last Police Station Counter 'Deeply Worrying'
Expected Lavender Hill closure a means no full-time coverage
Lavender Hill Police Station. Picture: Google Streetview
July 22, 2025
The Metropolitan Police is expected to close the public facing front counter at Lavender Hill police station, which has been the last station in Wandsworth with a full time walk in service.
No date has been given but the service is anticipated by council officers to be terminated in the near future.
This part of a broader cost saving and estate rationalisation programme by the Met Police but when initially announced assurances were given that there would be an alternative provision of community contact points across the borough in places such as shops and libraries. However, this has largely failed to materialise although local neighbourhood police teams do conduct regular drop-ins and ‘touchdown spaces’ allowing direct face-to-face contact with officers.
The Met will still see individuals in person upon pre-arranged appointment which you can arrange by dialling 101.
The borough has already seen the closure of another front counters in recent years.
Council Leader Simon Hogg said, “This will be deeply worrying news for local people. A visible police presence really matters, and every community deserves to feel safe and supported.
“Wandsworth has already lost front counters in Putney, Battersea and Tooting. If Lavender Hill closes too, it would be the first time in living memory that there’s no full-time police station open to the public in our borough.
“We understand the Met is under pressure, but we’re asking for urgent clarity on what this means for local policing and how trust, visibility and community reassurance will be maintained.”
The Council says it will continue to work in close partnership with the police, even in the face of changing police estate arrangements.
Recent joint initiatives include securing a closure order at the Doddington Estate to deal with persistent anti-social behaviour, and launching new police touchdown spaces in Roehampton and Putney to bring police and Council officers closer to the community.
The Council has also invested in CCTV and mobile monitoring units, relaunched Neighbourhood Watch across the borough, and strengthened support for businesses through the Business Against Crime partnership.
“We will always stand up for our residents’ right to feel safe where they live,” said Cllr Hogg. “And we’ll continue pushing for the resources and visibility that neighbourhood policing needs in Wandsworth.”
The decision has been made in order to cover the Met’s £260 million budget shortfall. The rationale for the closures is the reduction in the proportion of crimes being reported in person which has fallen from 22% to 5% over the last few years.
A Met Police spokesman said, “Just five per cent of crimes were reported using front counters last year, with the vast majority of Londoners doing it over the phone, online, or in person with officers elsewhere.
“Given the Met’s budget shortfall and shrinking size, it is no longer sustainable to keep all front counters open.
“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.”
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