Council starts legal action to challenge “unlawful’’ police station closure
Havering Council has filed a judicial review against the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) and the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service’s decision to close police buildings in the borough.
Earlier this month, Councillor Roger Ramsey called for a judicial review when the Council wrote a letter to MOPAC on the grounds that the consultation was unlawful and that they failed to comply with the public sector equality duty.
On Thursday 11 January, the Mayor’s Office responded to the Council, standing by his original decision.
Councillor Ramsey, leader of the Council, said:
“After writing to both MOPAC and the Commissioner and receiving a disappointing response, it was essential we started court action. This will demonstrate that we will not tolerate the closure of our public access police stations as the safety of our residents is paramount.
“The MOPAC consultation process was not undertaken properly. The decision will have a negative impact on residents in the south of the borough who will have to travel over an hour to their nearest police station, which is not acceptable. Also older residents may feel more comfortable having face-to-face contact with police and it will be unjust to take this away from them.”