Council leader calls for mayor's police plan 'rethink' (From Haringey Independent)

Haringey Borough Council leader, Councillor Claire Kober, calls for 'rethink' of Mayor of London Boris Johnson's policing plan

3:56pm Tuesday 26th February 2013 in News By Hermione Wright

Haringey's council leader is calling for a "very careful rethink" of the mayor's plans to slash police front counter opening hours.

Councillor Claire Kober has sent an open letter to the deputy mayor for policing and crime, Stephen Greenhalgh, outlining her concerns about the Mayor of London Boris Johnson's proposals for the borough.

If they are passed, Tottenham Police Station’s front counter would be shut at night and Hornsey Police Station’s hours would only open daily, rather than 24 hours a day.

Muswell Hill Police Station front counter would also close under measures to save cash for the Metropolitan Police Service.

The letter was released last night during a consultation meeting in Haringey Civic Centre about the mayor’s draft police and crime plan.

The Labour leader wrote: “I am concerned about the proposals to reduce the availability of front counters across Haringey.

“The council well understands the need to save money, but that must not be at the expense of making communities feel less safe, particularly in parts of the borough dealing with some of the highest levels of crime in London.

“I would urge a very careful rethink of the options available to make the necessary savings, so that a 24-hour counter service can be retained.”

Mr Greenhalgh addressed a packed audience during yesterday's meeting about the plans, which set out how London's policing will change over the next four years.

If his current proposals are passed, it will mean the police station in High Road in Wood Green will be the only police front counter in the borough to remain open for 24 hours a day.

Cllr Kober said she is “disappointed” that Haringey will not benefit significantly from increases in neighbourhood policing numbers that other councils have seen.

Under current plans, the number of police officers in the borough will rise from 658 to 664 in 2015.

But the number of safer neighbourhood officers is set to rise from 55 in 2011 to 144 in 2015.

The Labour leader added: “I know from residents across Haringey that many feel less safe than they used to. Fear of crime is often most felt by young people in the borough.

“People want to feel safe in their homes and businesses. They rightly expect the police, working with agencies including the council, courts, probation service and others to achieve this.”

She said she will continue to "make the case" for more resources to be made available for Haringey.

The mayor plans to close almost 200 of the 497 buildings in London owned by the Metropolitan Police and use the savings to employ 1,200 more officers and 2,600 safer neighbourhood teams London-wide.

Mr Greenhalgh reminded people during last night’s meeting that the mayor’s plan is a draft, and people’s views will be listened to until the consultation ends on March 6.