Video screens outside London police stations are being trialled in a bid to quell anger over the closure of front counters to save money.
Commander Hayley Sewart told MPs the decision to axe half of desks to the public “is not one taken lightly”.
The Metropolitan Police is piloting upgraded CCTV systems so victims of crime or residents can speak to an officer face-to-face, she revealed.
If the number of counters is reduced from 37 to 19, it will break Scotland Yard’s pledge to have one accessible 24 hours a day in each of the capital’s 32 boroughs.
In a desperate attempt to balance a £260 million budget shortfall, leaked plans show only eight front desk will remain open 24/7, and there are to be reduced hours at 11 with them closing at 10pm weekdays and 7pm weekends.
Across south west London, it means residents cannot walk in and contact officers if Twickenham, Merton, Wimbledon, Lavender Hill and Mitcham lose theirs.
Kingston police station’s opening hours are likely to be reduced meaning the nearest 24-hour counter to Richmond will be Acton, Sutton or Lambeth.
There are also concerns those on bail will have to travel miles to report as part of conditions increasing the risk a defendant might abscond.
But Cmdr Sewart, of Frontline Policing, said an average of 2.4 crimes are reported per day at Twickenham, 2.5 in Wimbledon and Mitcham, while there are just 3.1 at Lavender Hill.
The senior officer was replying to Lib Dem MP for Twickenham Munira Wilson, her Kingston and Surbiton colleague and party leader Sir Ed Davey, Richmond Park’s MP Sarah Olney, Paul Kohler, who represents Wimbledon, and Richmond-upon-Thames Council boss Gareth Roberts, a London Assembly member.
They wrote to Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and then-Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to warn “further cuts only put another nail in the coffin of community policing” amid an epidemic of knife crime, mobile phone snatches, shoplifting and bike theft.
Homicide figures last year were at a 10-year low. A snapshot of murders up to the start of September show they are at a 22-year low for this point in the year.
But this only tells part of 2025’s story, as domestic-related murders are around 54 per cent up by August 25 last year, according to separate Met figures.
Cmdr Sewart wrote: “In contrast, 95 per cent of crime is now reported via phone, online, or directly to officers in the community. This shift in public behaviour, coupled with the financial pressures we face, has led us to reassess how best to use our limited resources.
“In addition, we are reviewing coverage and upgrading the weatherproof phones which are outside some of our police buildings, connecting directly to 101 or 999 services, and piloting the use of a video screen outside of Met buildings as another potential alternative, which can be used to contact police.
“Importantly, whilst front counters may close, I want to be clear that the police stations themselves will remain operational, and officers will continue to be based locally.
“As part of our commitment to neighbourhood policing, we are actively exploring all options to ensure officers are within a 20-minute walk of their ward boundaries. This includes working with local authorities and other partners to develop co-location opportunities.”
A Met spokesman said it “is focusing ruthlessly on visible policing on London’s streets, modernising services and increasing visibility in neighbourhoods with over 300 additional PCSOs and over 300 additional officers”.
They confirmed the video screens trial but were unable to give details.
Paula Dodds, chair of the rank-and-file Met Police Federation, said: “If we close police station front counters the public can’t have access to us when they need it most.
“We can’t hide behind technology because not everyone has access to technology to call the police or go online to report a crime – they want that personal interaction. The public are going to have to go further to get access to a police station if they need it out of hours.”
