Save Sydenham Police station: Brian Paddick visit

[annabel mclaren]

Sat 18 Feb, 10am outside Sydenham Police Station, 179 Dartmouth Road SE26 4RN
Join the Sydenham and Forest Hill Socs this Saturday outside the police station at 10am and meet Brian Paddick, prospective Liberal Democrat Mayor of London, who is visiting Sydenham to show his support for community policing and the retention of local police stations. This will be an opportunity to gather more signatures for the Save Sydenham Police Station petition, and to hear Brian Paddick’s views on policing in London. As reported previously on STF, the Metropolitan Police are reviewing all their sites and may relocate the Sydenham, Forest Hill and Perry Vale Safer Neighbourhood Teams to Catford. Come along and show your support for local policing this Saturday. And you can still sign the petition online at:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save ... e-station/
Annabel McLaren, Chair, Sydenham Society

[bensonby]

I've still not seen anywhere official that says they are proposing to close Sydenham police station: can you point us to where this proposal is please?

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[marymck]

Sadly, I couldn't attend this event.

However, I did go to the Forest Hill Assembly last night. We were told by Sgt Scott Ferguson of the Forest Hill Safer Neighbouryood Team that the future of Sydenham Police Station is "up for review" along with others.

The SNT would like to see the station continue.

There was a bit of a discussion and worries were shared about response times should the station close. The SNT do not know where they will be based if the station does close.

So it seems a formal decision has not (yet) been reached. But if we want to keep the station we need to act now. It was suggested concerned residents write to their MPs and Councillors to make their feelings known.

Plus, of course, there's the Syd Soc petition.

[bensonby]

There was a bit of a discussion and worries were shared about response times should the station close. The SNT do not know where they will be based if the station does close.

I explained in the other thread why response times would not be affected.

[michael]

Presumably the amount of time the neighbourhood teams could spend in the wards would be impacted, that was certainly the impression given to the meeting last night by Sgt. Ferguson. It was also very clear that the closure of Sydenham police station was definitely an option that is being considered, this is confirmed by an article from the South London Press on 14th Feb

Chief Supt Burton said: “With regards to Sydenham Police Station, there has been no formal decision made about its future, but it is being reviewed."

What is not clear is whether police time available in the local wards would be a priority for the police property services department, or whether they would be driven more by possible cost savings and revenue generated by selling off existing properties.

[marymck]

There was a bit of a discussion and worries were shared about response times should the station close. The SNT do not know where they will be based if the station does close.

I explained in the other thread why response times would not be affected.

Well the SNT don't seem to share that view. Sgt Fergusson was concerned about response times at this far edge of the Borough, and said he couldn't make definite reassurances that these wouldn't be affected because there has been no decision as to where the SNT will be based.

[bensonby]

SNT officers don't generally respond to 999 calls. As such, why would there be an impact on response times?

Indeed, being far from a police station has no bearing whatsoever on response times: and I've got the statistics to prove it.

Being alarmist does nothing for the cause of those people campaigning against closures/cuts etc.