Wimbledon Police Station
Wimbledon Police Station was earmarked for closure as part of the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime’s (MOPAC) plan to reduce their expenditure.
Love Wimbledon has campaigned on this issue since the first announcement in July 2017, keeping businesses up to date with communications and developments on this issue. Read our news feature.
In July 2018, there was a High Court ruling, following an appeal led by local Councillor and resident, Paul Kohler that resulted in the Deputy Mayor for MOPAC having to review her decision. Read our news feature.
As a BID we have worked extensively with the local police teams since 2012 to reduce crime in the town centre. This has involved building a very successful monthly Pubwatch meeting for all licensed premises and building strong relationships between local police officers and businesses.
12%
IN 2018/19, THE CRIME RATE DROPPED BY 12% IN WIMBLEDON TOWN CENTRE
Crime in Wimbledon
Crime has been falling over recent years in Wimbledon, in no small part to the successful partnership that we are proud to be a part of with Safer Merton, including CCTV, the businesses through Townlink Radio and CCTV. As the fourth safest borough in London, the 21st busiest train station and the international profile of the name Wimbledon we are very clear that closing the police station in Wimbledon will have an impact on criminality in the area. As such we are lobbying the Deputy Mayor of London and senior Met Police officers to explore a sustainable future for the town that works for MOPAC, the Met Police and the business community.
Partnerships to Reduce Crime
Wimbledon is one of the safest town centres in Greater London and we need to keep it that way. That’s why we offer our businesses tools to help combat crime. Love Wimbledon promotes the use of both Town Link radio and Littoralis (anti-social behaviour secure information sharing system). Used together, these systems assist in reducing crime and facilitate joint working between the police and the retail sector. Find out more about how we work together to Improve Wimbledon and keep you feeling safe.
We lobby on your behalf
We continue to lobby the Deputy Mayor, Sophie Linden, to explore other options to closure on the basis that the town centre is the economic heart of the borough, has the best transport links and therefore has significantly higher footfall in addition to having an international reputation for the tennis. Having the response team based in Mitcham will result in delays to police attendance. In addition a local secure premises will need to be rented as a base for the local police teams which will add to the ongoing overhead costs.
UPDATES ON WIMBLEDON POLICE STATION CLOSURE
We will keep businesses appraised of developments as they occur and keep the pressure on for the best solution for Wimbledon Town Centre.
