Two police stations will close in Richmond after the latest rounds of Met Police cuts.

While the Twickenham branch will remain open, Teddington station along with Sovereign Gate will shut in December.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced the plans today (November 1), which will result in just one 24-hour police station being open to the public in every borough.

However, police in Richmond have said the move will save the Met nearly £590,000 per year, “the equivalent of 11 police officers”.

Your Local Guardian: Sovereign Gate station 

Richmond Cluster Safer Neighbourhoods Inspector John Evans, who attended the last police liaison group meeting for Ham, Petersham and Richmond Riverside and the borough wide public consultation meeting held at York Hall in September, said he was “acutely aware that residents are attached” to their local stations.

He added: “But I am also aware that our residents understand the savings that we are being asked to meet.

“Teddington Police Station receives one visitor a day on average and no crime reports at all, with Sovereign Gate receiving an average of 11 visitors and the creation of one crime report a day.

“Closing Teddington and Sovereign Gate stations will save the Met nearly £590k per year – equivalent to 11 police officers.”

Your Local Guardian: Teddington police station 

Nevertheless, he admitted closing the stations has been “difficult decisions to make” and thanked residents for their feedback during the consultation period.

Twickenham is currently the only station with 24/7 access, so residents “should see little change” as “there are no plans to change this”.

Inspector Evans added: “The majority of crime is not currently reported at police stations and residents can still can pick up the phone or contact the Met through our website.

“Officers from Safer Neighbourhood Teams will continue to operate out of several bases across the Borough with the aim of having local officers beginning their shift no more than 20 minutes walking time away from the ward they patrol, with many much closer.

“Richmond, Twickenham and Teddington remain one of the safest places to live within London and despite the closure of some stations we will continue to aim to make them the safest place to live in London.”

Richmond Council has said the closures “must have a local benefit”.

Councillor Mark Boyle said: “Although I am disappointed to see policefront counters closing, I am sure that the public are in agreement that any money saved as a result should be invested in more frontline policing and improvements in reporting services. 

“The council has conveyed the firm message that any savings made from closures in Richmond should be allocated to improving police accessibility here in the borough – both on the ground and in improvements to online and telephone reporting tools.”

Police funding was cut by £600 million between 2010 and 2015 and further cuts of £400 million are planned before 2021.

Sadiq Khan said: “The drastic nature of Government cuts to policing budgets has left us with no choice but to take drastic action and make some very difficult decisions.”

He warned that police numbers in London would fall as low as 27,500 by 2021 without additional funding, which is the lowest level in 19 years.

This would mean one police officer per 326 Londoners compared to one officer per 242 Londoners in 2010, which is a fall of 26 per cent.

Cressida Dick, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said she was “confident” the changes would not impact of the Met’s ability to keep Londoners safe.

She said: “The most effective place for our officers to be is out on the streets.”

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