Reprieve for Hammersmith Police Station Front Counter
Gain offset by reduced hours at Acton
The front desk at Hammersmith Police Station
October 18, 2025
The Metropolitan Police has reversed its decision to close the front counter at Hammersmith Police Station, following public concern and political pressure from across West London. The station will now remain open with revised hours — 10am to 10pm on weekdays and 9am to 7pm at weekends — instead of closing entirely as originally planned.
The U-turn means that residents of Hammersmith & Fulham will continue to have local, in-person access to police services, avoiding the prospect of having to travel to Charing Cross, the nearest 24-hour front counter, which itself has been at the centre of controversy in recent months.
Hammersmith & Chiswick MP welcomed the decision, saying the Met had “listened to public concerns” after extensive lobbying from residents, the council, and his office. He said he was pleased that the counter would remain open, describing it as “positive news for everyone who values accessible policing in our area.”
Local London Assembly Member James Small-Edwards also welcomed the move, while warning that reduced hours could still affect access:
“Keeping the front counter open will go a long way in making sure police services are accessible for everyone,” he said. “But I’ll be looking closely at what impact the new hours may have across Hammersmith & Fulham.”
While Hammersmith has earned a reprieve, neighbouring Acton Police Station will see its front counter hours cut. From this week, it will open 10am–10pm on weekdays and 9am–7pm at weekends, matching Hammersmith’s schedule.
This change means that the London Borough of Ealing will have no overnight front counter access, after the earlier closure of Ealing Police Station. The Met confirmed that only two stations — Charing Cross and Lewisham — will now operate 24 hours a day across the capital.
Local Liberal Democrats have sharply criticised the cuts. Councillor Connie Hersch, spokesperson for Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour, said, “Ealing has suffered already with the closure of its main police station. Now Acton’s reduced hours mean there is no face-to-face access overnight in the whole borough. As the nights draw in, many more residents will feel unsafe.”
The Met says the revised plans, which reduce the number of front counters from 37 to 27 rather than the originally proposed 19, will save around £7 million — a small part of a £260 million budget shortfall the force needs to close.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley told the London Assembly this week that the decision was driven by data and consultation. He commented, “Only around five per cent of crimes are now reported at front counters. If we had more money, we’d spend it on neighbourhood policing or tackling knife crime before front desks. Londoners told us they’d rather have more counters open than a few open 24/7.”
Critics, however, argue that front counters serve a broader role than reporting crime — as safe spaces for vulnerable people, including victims of domestic violence or those without access to phones or digital reporting tools.
London Assembly Police and Crime Committee Chair Marina Ahmed highlighted a recent case where a woman fleeing domestic abuse sought refuge at a police station in the early hours. “Front counters aren’t just for crime reports,” she said. “They’re a lifeline.”
Mayor Sadiq Khan has come under fire for breaking a 2021 manifesto pledge to maintain at least one 24-hour front counter in each of London’s 32 boroughs. The Mayor defended his stance, saying that “when the facts change, I change my mind,” and that prioritising frontline policing made sense amid government funding constraints.
Deputy Mayor for Policing Kaya Comer-Schwartz said the decision reflected “tough choices in a constrained budget environment,” while Conservative Assembly Member Susan Hall accused City Hall of “failing vulnerable Londoners” by allowing overnight access to disappear from most areas.
The closures and reduced hours will particularly affect West London, where boroughs including Ealing, Hounslow, and Hammersmith & Fulham have already seen major stations shut or downgraded over the past decade.
Since 2013, the capital has gone from nearly 140 police front counters to fewer than 30. Successive mayors — first Boris Johnson, who closed 65 counters, and later Sadiq Khan, who closed another 38 — have justified the reductions as necessary cost-saving measures amid changing public reporting habits.
While the Met insists that phones outside closed stations connect directly to the control room for emergencies, campaigners argue that this cannot replace the reassurance and visibility of a staffed desk.
Written with contributions from Kumail Jaffer – Local Democracy Reporter
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