By Thomas Turrell AM

The announcement (or lack of) of reduction in hours and closure of many of London’s Police Front Counters has been one of the shambolic I’ve seen. The news was leaked, the Mayor’s office was slow to react, the Assembly recalled, and still, we only know the bare minimum. Londoners have been figuratively left in the dark; many more are about to be quite literally left there.

The police front counters are a lifeline to many Londoners, a place of sanctuary, especially at night. Whether it's frightened young women seeking safety and help after being followed, a safe place to take a friend whose drink may have been spiked, or older residents collecting crime reference numbers for insurance claims, the victim checking on case progress, the small business owner discussing crime prevention measures. All of these visit matter. Which is why I was shocked to learn that none of these vital interactions are captured in the Mayor's convenient statistics.

The justification for given for these proposal is one of the most cynical uses of manipulated statistics I have witnessed. It relies heavily on statistics showing "low footfall" at station........

© LBC