Andrew Dismore

Andrew Dismore, Labour London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden at Mayors Question Time challenged Mayor Boris Johnson over the fiasco of a police base for Hampstead.

Mr Dismore said:

“It is ludicrous, that it took a local newspaper to expose the failings of the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, MOPAC, over the need to spend only £30 per week on a contact point for Hampstead, especially as they are set to make millions from the sale of the old police station building. They were apparently worried about setting a precedent going against their “no cost” rule. This exposes the reality of the “contact points”: They are designed to fail and so far very few people are using them. They are nothing more than a fig leaf to provide political cover for the Mayor in an attempt to deflect criticisms over the closure of police stations, and I bet that before long they will be closed down.

What makes it worse is that they still haven’t changed the signs over the opening hours of at the Hampstead Police Station building, thus giving misleading advice to the public about Hampstead police station, as well as now closed Albany Street and reduced hours Holborn.

Moreover, they also don’t seem to have notified Royal Mail over the closure of the Hampstead station, judging by the mail accumulating under the door and on the doorstep.

The Mayor needs to get a grip and respond to the community demand for a Hampstead patrol base that can double up as a contact point”.