"Its long-awaited estates strategy, published on Thursday evening, says Holloway and Stratford police stations will close when officers transfer into newly-developed locations in Forest Gate and Kentish Town. It is also pressing ahead with the disposal of former police stations in Notting Hill, Enfield, Teddington and King's Cross Road, all of which were decommissioned in 2022. But the ten-year strategy makes clear that more police stations could close due to a lack of funding for front-line policing and a 1 billion buildings maintenance backlog."
"Met chiefs will periodically revisit the issue of whether more buildings can be sold as demand, crime patterns and funding evolve. The document does not name future targets for closure but states: We will consider disposing of more of our police buildings as long as we are maintaining a suitable local presence, getting our people to where they need to be quickly, and not compromising on operational performance."
"The size of the Met estate has been slashed from 620 operational buildings in 2010 to about 200 at present. The Met hopes to generate 72 million by selling off a number of buildings in the coming years. It has pledged to maximise space within police buildings by seeking to optimise our locker provision and could fit sensors to lockers to check that they are being used."
The Met will close Holloway and Stratford police stations when officers move into newly developed sites in Forest Gate and Kentish Town. Former stations in Notting Hill, Enfield, Teddington and King's Cross Road will be disposed after decommissioning in 2022. Funding shortfalls and a £1 billion buildings maintenance backlog could prompt further closures. Met leaders will periodically assess sales against local presence, response times and operational performance. The estate has fallen from 620 operational buildings in 2010 to about 200 now. The Met aims to generate £72 million through property sales, rationalise locker and storage space, relocate back-office functions outside London, and open 40 local policing hubs.
Read at www.standard.co.uk
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]