Hammersmith Police Station Counter Expected to Close
Front desk was only installed less than five years ago
The front desk at Hammersmith Police Station
July 22, 2025
The front counter at Hammersmith Police station is expected to close in the near future as part of another round of cost-saving exercises by the Met.
The front desk at the station, which operated 24 hours of the day, only reopened towards the end of 2020 after a £59million refit of the station. It was understood at the time that the counter would remain permanently open following the closure of the Shepherd’s Bush front desk which had operated temporarily during the Hammersmith station refurbishment and the Fulham station front desk at the end of 2017.
It leaves the Central West Basic Command Unit (which covers Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster as well as Hammersmith & Fulham) with only one public access counter at Charing Cross Police Station near Strand. It is believed that 24 hour access will continue at Acton station which is likely to be closer for most borough residents.
A leaked list of the closures, which has been confirmed as accurate by a number of local authorities across London, includes 18 front desks across the capital. The Met is believed to have initiated a statutory consultation about the closures and informed the affected boroughs.
This will leave just 19 front desks still operating with only 8 of those open all day with the others closing at 10pm weekdays and 7pm weekends. This breaks an earlier pledge by the Met to have a counter accessible 24 hours a day in every borough.
Other counters to close include Twickenham, Merton, Wimbledon, Lavender Hill and Mitcham.
Police officers still see individuals in person by appointment which you can arrange by dialling 101.
The decision has been made in order to cover a £260 million budget shortfall. The rationale for the closures is the reduction in the proportion of crimes being reported in person.
A Met Police spokesman said, “Just five per cent of crimes were reported using front counters last year, with the vast majority of Londoners doing it over the phone, online, or in person with officers elsewhere.
“Given the Met’s budget shortfall and shrinking size, it is no longer sustainable to keep all front counters open.
“That’s why we have taken the tough choice to pursue some closures and a reduction in hours – allowing us to focus resources relentlessly on tackling crime and putting more officers into neighbourhoods across London.”
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