Chingford Police Station’s front desk will close on Saturday, 28th February, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter
The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it will close the front desk in Chingford Police Station, in Kings Head Hill on Saturday, 28th February. The police station itself will remain open.
The main functions of front counters are reporting crimes, seeking advice, and accessing victim services.
The closure was announced last October, prompting criticism from local leaders such as Chingford and Woodford Green MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith.
He called the decision “deeply disappointing” and said it would “significantly affect accessibility” for elderly and vulnerable residents, many of whom “rely on face-to-face policing services and are unable to use the Met’s digital or phone-based alternative”.
Chingford’s is one of ten desks across London to close as the force looks to close a £260million budget gap.
Other 24-hour counters set to be shuttered include those in Kensington, Twickenham and Wimbledon. Just two counters will remain open 24 hours a day: Lewisham and Charing Cross.
Reducing their hours will still save £7m and free up 2,900 man-hours, the force says.
A spokesperson for the Met said: “The closures form part of a number of tough choices the Met is having to make in order to operate within a shrinking budget while tackling neighbourhood crime and ensuring communities see a more visible police presence.”
They come after “months of engagement with partners, stakeholders and trade unions,” the spokesperson added.
In-person reporting of crimes has fallen by around 60% since 2012, data from the Met reveals.
It now forms just 5% of total crime-reporting, with people now reporting offences online, over the phone, or directly to officers.
In the 30 months between 1st February 2023 and 31st July 2025, around 111,000 crimes were reported to police stations across London.
However, in most cases, they made up single-digit percentages of the total number recorded.
The Met’s data shows 3% of arson and criminal damage offences were reported directly to a police station, alongside 2% of burglaries and 7% of public order offences. Just 0.45% – 498 in total – of all drug reports were made at a police desk.
The most common reports were violence against the person (38%) and theft (32%).
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