On Wednesday we had a meeting of Southwark Council at which my fellow East Dulwich Lib Dem, Councillor Jonathan Mitchell, moved a motion aimed at saving police stations in the borough from closure.

I have previously reported that East Dulwich Police Station is one of those facing closure.  We are fighting to ensure that there is a proper police service in the borough with accessible police stations open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The decision by Council Assembly last night to back our campaign is very welcome is therefore very welcome.

We believe that the public want real police stations where they feel confident enough to report a crime or pass on information. A trestle table in a supermarket is simply not good enough.

It was very disappointing to see that Labour voted against this motion - despite constantly accusing others of being ’soft on crime’. 

Proper police stations are play a part in giving people a visible and reassuring presence of their local police service.