Scott Ainslie and the Streatham Green Party are calling for the front-desk at Streatham Police Base to be reopened with immediate effect, in order to restore public confidence in a visible police presence and reduce the fear of crime in the local area.
The front-desk was closed to the public in 2018 – a move that the Streatham Green Party opposed at the time.
Scott Ainslie, Green Party councillor for St Leonard’s ward, Streatham said: ‘At a time of rising crime and with the types of crimes we have witnessed on our streets recently, we need to increase the visibility and access to our dedicated local police officers to help our community feel safer.’
Streatham is Lambeth’s largest neighbourhood in terms ofgeographical area, with a town centre of around 60,000 residents.
The Streatham Green Party argues that a physical, local presence will help speed up police response time, and that direct contact between the public and police helps reduce the fear of crime – as does police visibility in the station.
Ainslie added, ‘As well as being a safe haven for local residents to report crime and for referring vulnerable people to the right services, an open and visible front-desk is essential to restore public confidence and to keep the police at the heart of our community.’