Wandsworth’s police superintendent has confirmed that Lavender Hill Police Station’s front counter will remain open, reversing Met plans to close the borough’s last remaining walk-in police service.
Superintendent Gani Rajan announced the decision in a message to residents at the weekend, saying community feedback had been crucial in keeping the counter open as part of wider Metropolitan Police budget cuts.
“Having spoken to local politicians and community members, many have said they would prefer to have more front counters that are open during the day, rather than fewer counters with around the clock service,” Superintendent Rajan wrote. “These feedback sessions were really helpful and I am confident the points raised by community members formed part of the overall decision to keep Lavender Hill open.”
The station near Clapham Junction will operate from 10am to 10pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 7pm at weekends once the new schedule begins. The superintendent said the Met would update residents on when these changes take effect, with the counter continuing normal hours for now.
Campaign success
The reprieve follows months of campaigning after the Met announced in July that Lavender Hill would close as part of plans to save £260 million. The force initially proposed reducing London’s police counters from 37 to just 19, arguing that only 5% of crimes are now reported in person compared to 22% in previous years.
Wandsworth had already lost front counters at Putney, Battersea and Tooting stations in recent years. Lavender Hill’s closure would have left the borough without any walk-in police access for the first time in living memory.
The revised London-wide plan will now keep 27 counters open, though only Charing Cross and Lewisham will maintain 24-hour service. The Met said fewer than one in 2,000 crimes since 2012 were reported at police stations outside the new proposed hours.
Superintendent Rajan sought to reassure residents about maintaining police services:
“Tackling crimes in your local area remains one of our key priorities and we are increasing the number of PCs and Police Community Support Officers within our neighbourhood teams.”
He emphasised that residents can still report crimes online or via 101 for non-emergencies, with these services available 24 hours daily. “All these services remain available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and are how 90% of crimes are reported,” he noted.
Local politicians including Council Leader Simon Hogg and London Assembly Member Leonie Cooper had campaigned against the closure, warning it would damage community trust and police visibility. The Mayor’s office said the reprieve was made possible by increased City Hall funding.
For those who do not wish to speak directly to police, Superintendent Rajan highlighted that Crimestoppers remains available anonymously on 0800 555 111.
The Lavender Hill counter has operated with limited functionality in recent years, with reinforced glass separating visitors from officers, but remains the borough’s only location for face-to-face police reporting.
