Wimbledon Police Station Is Under Threat Again
Mayor of London offers no long-term future for town centre premises
Councillor Paul Kohler (left) with daughter Tamara Kohler and Richard Hackforth-Jones
The future of Wimbledon police station is back in the balance following the publication of the Mayor of London's Police & Crime Plan.
The plan, published on March 24, reiterates the Mayor’s intention to further reduce the number of police stations in London, and makes no commitment to retain Wimbledon police station in the long term.
Wimbledon police station in Queens Road was saved from a planned closure in 2018 after local Liberal Democrat councillor Paul Kohler took Mayor Sadiq Khan to the High Court to challenge the decision.
Councillor Kohler and the Merton Liberal Democrat group said they have made a detailed submission to the consultation on the new plan emphasising the importance of retaining Wimbledon police station.
Councillor Kohler said: “I am, yet again, disappointed the Mayor of London has refused to commit to retaining Wimbledon police station, in spite of my representations highlighting how important the police station is to the local area and community.
“I am even more disappointed that politicians from Wimbledon's Conservative and Labour parties, including Wimbledon MP Stephen Hammond, failed to make any representations to the Mayor ahead of the publication of his plan.
“I was able to save Wimbledon police station from immediate closure four years ago by taking the Mayor to court, but we cannot afford to be complacent about the police station’s long-term future.
“I pledge not to rest on my laurels, and I will continue to do all I can to ensure that Wimbledon police station's long-term future is secured.”
The station was first threatened in 2017 after a review by the Metropolitan Police, which faced £1bn worth of cuts, recommended the closure of 37 police stations in the capital.
March 28, 2022