In 2013, following a community campaign and petition, Jon Cruddas MP successfully protected Dagenham Police Station from closure, when it came under threat from then Mayor of London Boris Johnson.
Today it has come to light that in the next £400m round of government cuts to the Metropolitan Police, the Rainham Road South station is yet again under threat of closure.
The proposal is to lose all counter services then sell the building off. This would prevent members of the public reporting crimes at the site, and would finally result with no visible police presence in the area.
There are also plans to ?dispose of, or exit' the Dagenham Heathway police offices, and the offices in Marks Gate. The consultation document, written by the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime, states that Dagenham Police Station sees an average of 4.1 daily reported crimes. Of the 73 sites reviewed 39 are earmarked for closure.
The proposals include keeping just one 24-hour police front counter open in every London borough. The front counter at Barking Learning Centre where an average of 1.8 crimes are reported daily is to remain.
You can sign Jon's petition to save the Dagenham Police Station by clicking HERE
Jon Cruddas MP, MP for Dagenham and Rainham, said: "These proposals are just unacceptable. As in 2013 I will be fighting them all the way. Now is not the time to be cutting back on policing in Dagenham. Crime is on the rise and we need more investment to deal with issues like the violent epidemic of terrifying moped crime, not less.
"I understand that the Met are under pressure from the government, but Dagenham Police Station has more average daily reports of crime than 17 of the 34 counters not under threat and it is the second most frequented station out of the 39 proposed closures.
"Dagenham Police Station is the most frequently used service in the borough. It's nonsense that it has been earmarked for closure. This is a half-baked attempt at saving money but you can't put a price on residents' safety.
"I'm urging the people of Dagenham to sign my petition, then download the consultation document and send it back to MOPAC demanding that they retain services at Dagenham East."
The public access consultation will run until 5:30pm on 6 October 2017. The consultation document and the questionnaire can be downloaded here: www.london.gov.uk/public-access
You can sign Jon's petition by clicking HERE