The Labour controlled Met police are still proceeding with their plans to close and sell off East Dulwich Police station. 

Thousands have signed our petition against this. 

The Met are now at least consulting about their plans and the East Dulwich councilors have responded.

I notice that in the press Labour’s GLA incumbent still supports closing police stations.  (You know what to do on May 1st.)   The reason she gives is that the building is in a state of bad repair.  ”Well mend it dear Val” is the answer which springs to mind.  Or alternatively, re-provide a new building!

In our response to the consultation, we said:

We welcome this consultation.  It is long over due. For well over a year, we have been approached by our constituents eager to know what is being planned for their police station.  That the decision making process has been so opaque has not reflected well on the MPA. We make no criticism of Southwark officers whom we recognise have been put in an impossible position.

We believe that an East Dulwich Police Station should remain.  Ideally, the current service should be extended to a 24/7 service.  We have spoken to hundreds of our constituents who share this view.  Taking a police station away from our community would be a retrograde step and counter to the prevailing wind in favour of community policing.  

The Police station in East Dulwich is in a strategically advantageous position to service the police needs of people over a wide area: the Wards of East Dulwich, Village, College, and parts of Peckham Rye. The present location is well-known to local people, and is a reassurance to them and advantageous in encouraging residents to report crime and achieving quick access to police assistance in an emergency. Its location clearly reduces the local fear of crime.

We wish to defend services; not  buildings that may be unfit for purpose. Our suggestion is that the existing site should be retained, but we can see the potential  to deliver the local imperative for a modern working police station, whilst providing the financial benefit of raised capital receipts for the Metropolitan Police Authority.

If such a development were to be proposed, we would favour a reconfiguration of council services at the same to bring wardens, and the police under the same roof.

It may also be possible to provide other community services such as a new Dulwich Housing office/One Stop shop and community space. 

A lot would depend on what was proposed.  But as a minimum a new police station would have to have capacity to accomodate all local Dulwich police as well as a Southwark enforcement base  for community wardens.

A minimum of existing front counter opening times of 06.00 to 21.00 hours would be maintained – but ideally we should be seeking to provide a 24/7 service.

We would expect  car and cycle space for Police and Wardens would be provided and all the usual operational features of a station such as rooms for lockers, operational purposes, meetings, and interviews. 

 Such an approach could result in a better police station for East Dulwich residents and still make the police money. It would be light years ahead of the alternative of a  Lordship Lane shop-front.  We await the MPA’s response with interest.