The Metropolitan Police’s proposal to reduce the number of public-facing police front counters in London from 37 to 19 has drawn fierce criticism from trade unions, who warned the move will lead to more crime, more unreported offences and additional stress for staff.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham described the decision as "incredibly short-sighted," saying it will "undoubtedly lead to more crime, higher levels of crimes being unreported and increased staff stress." The union said the cuts could cost about 100 front-desk staff their jobs and that plans to keep one 24-hour desk in each borough — a manifesto pledge by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan — would be effectively abandoned if only eight desks remained open around the clock.
The Met told Londoners that only about five percent of crimes were reported via front counters last year and that just one percent of those reports occurred at night. The force said the busiest front counter recorded an average of 15 crime reports a day, while the least busy saw about 2.5 reports daily. The proposed closures are part of measures to close a roughly £260 million funding gap facing the service.
A force spokesperson said the changes would save £7 million and 3,752 hours of police officer time per month, allowing resources to be redirected to neighbourhood policing. "Londoners tell us they want to see more officers on our streets," the spokesperson said, adding that the proposal remained at an early stage and that formal consultation with stakeholders and unions would follow once decisions were finalised.
Unions and front-desk workers argue that the impact of closures will be greater than the raw numbers suggest. They said people who are elderly, disabled or who have limited English — groups more likely to need face-to-face help — could be deterred from reporting crimes. A front-desk worker quoted by unions said, "People will just not report crimes as they have no means to. This will make the streets of London even more dangerous than they already are — more cuts equals more crime."
Unite regional officer Keith Henderson said the decision was "completely unworkable" and warned it could end up costing the force more in the long term through increased incidents and staff sickness. Unite also said it had not been consulted fully before the plans were revealed publicly and announced plans for a series of protests outside affected stations.
The reductions to front counters come alongside wider cuts across the Met. The force is planning to reduce overall officer and staff numbers by 1,700 and remove dedicated teams including the Royal Parks division. Forensics, historic crime units, mounted police and dog teams are among other areas facing reductions, and specialist units such as the Flying Squad may see changes to equipment and capacity.
Mayor Sadiq Khan addressed the issue at a London Assembly session, saying decisions on front-counter numbers and opening times are operational for the Met to make based on resources and public demand. He said 95 percent of crime is reported by phone, online or directly to officers and that some counters were used only a few times a day. When challenged about his earlier manifesto pledge to keep one 24-hour front desk per borough, he said, "When the facts change, I change my mind."
Assembly members were also told that the plans had been drafted in December 2024, although they were not publicly flagged until July. Opposition members accused the mayor and the force of a lack of transparency.
The dispute is unfolding against a wider backdrop of rising crime in London over the past decade. Overall recorded crime in the capital has risen by about 31.5 percent, with violent crime up roughly 40 percent over the same period. The city has also seen a sharp increase in phone thefts: police recorded 116,655 stolen mobile phones in 2024, equivalent to about one every five minutes.
The Met said that any formal change would follow consultation processes and that it had engaged stakeholders before reaching a final position. Trade unions say they will challenge the proposals and seek to protect both staff roles and public access to policing services as the force finalises its plans.