Last updated on 19 August 2025
Kingston Police Station counter remains open
Almost half of London’s police station front counters are set to close as part of a cost-cutting exercise by the Met Police. While Kingston police station has avoided front counter closure, it is expected to see a reduction in opening hours. Richmond borough’s remaining police station counter at Twickenham is set to close. Across the capital, the number of counters where you can speak to an officer will drop from 37 to just 20, and only 8 of those will stay open 24/7.
Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist told the London Assembly on 6th August that these were “difficult choices” but would save £7 million a year. The move is part of a wider plan to cut £260 million by trimming services and axing around 1,700 officer and staff roles.
It also breaks a long-standing promise from both the mayor and the Met to keep at least one counter open round the clock in each of London’s 32 boroughs.
Front counter closures aren’t new. Back in 2013, London had nearly 140 of them. Then-Mayor Boris Johnson shut 65, and in 2017, Mayor Sadiq Khan closed another 38 — leaving most boroughs with just one 24-hour counter.
Mr Twist said usage has dropped off since 2012, when 12% of reported crime came via station offices. Now it’s closer to 5% — around 50,000 out of a million crimes reported in London each year.
Despite the cuts, he said the Met is being reshaped to boost street-level policing: “These decisions are about making the Met more accessible and visible in neighbourhoods when the organisation is shrinking.”