Stratford and Plaistow police stations to close next month

Stratford and Plaistow police stations are set to close by the end of this year, City Hall has confirmed.

The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (Mopac) plans to leave just one front counter service in each London borough as part of a drive to save £400 million over the next four years.

Forest Gate police station, on Romford Road, will have the only front counter service available in the borough

Both Stratford police station, in West Ham Lane, and Plaistow police station, in Barking Road, are expected to close on December 14.

Sir Robin Wales, the mayor of Newham, has said that he will be writing to the home secretary to express his concerns about the impact the finding cuts will have on the borough.

He said: “Our police stations play an important role not only in enabling residents to report crimes, but also in assisting residents to access a wide variety of police services and enhancing community confidence in the police.

“Newham Council works in close partnership with the Metropolitan Police Service to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour in the borough. We will continue to work closely with the police to alleviate any local anxieties and ensure that our residents continue to feel safe and secure.”

Mopac has justified the closures by claiming that just 0.6 crimes per day were reported at Plaistow, and 1.2 at Stratford.

This compares to the 4.9 crimes reported a day at Forest Gate.

It added that there will be two dedicated ward officers in each ward, patrolling their area and provding a visible police presence, and be provided with up-to-date technology that means they do not need to regularly travel back to a base.

There will also be an emphasis on maintaining the 101 non-emergency number and increase the convenience of reporting crime online.

Both Plaistow and Stratford stations will eventually be sold, saving £540,000 a year.