A police base in Wallington is set to close as part of Scotland Yard’s major review of its sites across the capital’s policing network.

The safer neighbourhood team (SNT) office at Crosspoint House, in Stafford Road, will be shut in the coming months – though an exact date is not yet known.

A letter written by Chief Inspector Craig Knight, seen by Sutton Guardian, says officers affected will operate out of Sutton police station in the meantime.

But while there are ongoing discussions involving Sutton police to find alternative locations, he admits there’s no money available above a peppercorn rent agreement to them.

“London had over 400 police sites. There was a review of all these sites in line with wider business improvements planned across the Metropolitan Police,” the letter reads.

“It is simply not feasible to retain all of these sites, at enormous ongoing costs to the public purse, without considerable reductions in London’s police officer numbers.

“Wallington is one of these bases that is subject to this decision-making process and will, unfortunately, be closed in the coming months. The exact date of the closure has not yet been notified to me.

“Officers will, as an interim solution, operate from Sutton police station. There is access to vehicular transport and the public transport network as well, as police pedal bikes which are well used by neighbourhood teams.

“I am also in conversations with premises locally as possible alternatives. This is hampered significantly by our capability to agree a budget/rent for these premises as there is simply no available finances above a peppercorn rent agreement available to us.

“You will appreciate these conversations are sensitive and may take some time.

“Rest assured that I will monitor the local policing response routinely to ensure there is little or no loss of operational delivery whilst these changes are made.”

Sutton police has verified the seen correspondence and, while no exact date has been confirmed yet, there are rumours it could be shut on May 16.

It comes as the Metropolitan Police, Britain’s largest police force, was revealed to have sold more than £1 billion in property as it combats funding cuts.

Figures obtained by the Press Association under Freedom of Information (FOI) laws found Scotland Yard had just 137 “operational” buildings and 36 “residential” ones.

And, alongside having to find £325 million in savings by 2022, there remain controversial plans to merge multiple boroughs’ police units into one.

The introduction of 12 Basic Command Units (BCUs) which comprise of two or three boroughs was made to try meet those cost-saving targets.

A Sutton police spokesman confirmed the South BCU, comprising Bromley, Croydon and Sutton is now live after it was scheduled to go ahead in February.