Havering Council leader ‘utterly disappointed’ by decision to close borough’s police stations

Havering Council leader Roger Ramsey has blasted the “absurd” decision to close all but one of Havering’s police stations and vowed to fight to save them.

On Wednesday, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) announced that after a 12-week consultation, plans to close Rainham and Hornchurch Police Stations along with seven Safer Neighbourhood Team bases would go ahead.

Cllr Ramsey, who had previously urged residents to speak out against the plans during the public consultation, said he was determined the move should not negatively impact residents’ safety.

He said: “We are utterly disappointed and this could have a detrimental impact on the safety of our borough which is why we will not be taking this lightly and will continue to campaign against this short-sighted decision.

“The result of the consultation will leave residents in the south of the borough without any public police contact, and it is absurd to expect these residents to travel over an hour to their nearest police station.

“Residents have spoken up to save their stations, and I have had meetings with the Deputy Mayor for Policing, Sophie Linden, but we won’t stop there.

“The safety of our borough is paramount and we will do everything we can to push for a better outcome for our residents.”