Half of London’s police stations don’t answer their phone to non-emergency calls. This was the shock finding from a survey of all 141 police stations in London, which we carried out in March during normal opening hours over a three-week period. The findings appear to support claims made by the Audit Commission that many crimes are going unreported because victims cannot get through to police stations.
The situation was worst in Hammersmith & Fulham and Merton, where we were unable to contact any of the police stations listed on the Met’s website.
Only four boroughs scored top marks – Barking & Dagenham, Brent, Kingston and Waltham Forest.
This situation is a disgrace, particularly since ‘Citizen Focus’ is one of the Met’s top priorities.
I met with police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair last week, to discuss our research and he agreed that what we found is totally unacceptable. The Met are taking this very seriously and are conducting a review of all London boroughs to find out what has gone wrong and how to put it right.
Our research generated a lot of TV and press coverage, and I have been contacted by a number of people who work as civilians in police stations with their own stories. If you have a concern about the service you are receiving from the Met, please get in touch: dee.doocey@london.gov.uk
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