TWICKENHAM’S POLICE FRONT COUNTER WILL CLOSE ON SATURDAY
The front counter at Twickenham Police station will finally close on Saturday (Feb 28) despite a massive community campaign against the closure.
The Metropolitan Police claim that fewer crimes are reported at traditional front desks and that the various closures will save the Met over £7million a year. The nearest front counter will now be Hounslow.
Local MP’s including Munira Wilson and Sarah Olney as well as councillors have challenged the closures which come on top of the disbanding of the dedicated police cover for Bushy Park and Richmond Park.
In a letter to local residents Superintendent Craig Knight, of south west command, Richmond Borough, states:
Dear Residents,
I am writing to inform you that from Saturday 28 February 2026, the front counter at Twickenham Police Station will close.
Your nearest front counter will now be Hounslow Police Station.
From Monday 3 March, these front counters will be open from Monday to Friday, 10:00 – 22:00, and Saturday to Sunday, 09:00 – 19:00.
If you need to report a crime outside of these hours, our front counters that are open 24 hours are:
· Charing Cross Police Station
2 Agar St, London WC2N 4JP
· Lewisham Police Station
43 Lewisham High St, London SE13 5JZ
Alternatively, you can report an incident by:
· Visiting the Met Police website
· Calling the non-emergency number 101
· For hearing or speech-impaired users, you can text 18000 to access our textphone service
If a crime is happening right now or if someone is in immediate danger, please call 999.
You can stay 100% anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their untraceable online form.
Why are these changes being made?
The way people contact the police has changed.
Since 2012, reports made at front counters have dropped by 60%. At some of the quieter locations, we’re seeing fewer than three reports a day. And overnight, only one in every 2,000 crimes is reported at a front counter.
We’re adapting to how Londoners engage with us. These changes help us to focus our resources on where communities need us most – visible, local policing that keeps our streets safe.
Won’t the reduction of hours and front counter closures make London less safe?
What makes London safer is as many officers as possible on the frontline, tackling and driving down crime.
Today, 95% of crime reports are made through other channels, not at front counters.
These changes will free up approximately 3,000 officer hours, allowing extra resources to investigate crimes, update victims and step-up our action on key priorities like knife crime, burglary, robbery and anti-social behaviour.
Will it make a difference?
We are investing significantly in neighbourhood policing, and we are already seeing results:
· 1,000 more arrests are being made each month.
· Neighbourhood crime is down, with double-digit reductions in personal robbery, theft from person, and vehicle crime.
· Knife crime has dropped significantly this year.
· And homicides are at their lowest since monthly records began in 2003.
The Met is reducing a £260 million funding gap. This means making tough choices to ensure our shrinking resources are focused where they have the greatest impact.
These changes will deliver £7 million of savings meaning we can focus as much resource as possible on frontline policing that keep you safe.