Acton Police Station Loses 24-Hour Front Counter
Change price of reprieve for facilities at other stations
Acton Police Station front counter
October 18, 2025
The front counter at Acton Police Station will no longer offer round-the-clock access to the public, following a major shake-up of the Metropolitan Police’s estate announced this week.
Under the new schedule, Acton’s front desk will be open 10am–10pm on weekdays and 9am–7pm on weekends, ending decades of 24-hour service for residents in the London Borough of Ealing. The change leaves the borough with no overnight police front counter access, after the closure of Ealing Police Station several years ago.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that, across London, only two stations — Charing Cross and Lewisham — will now operate 24 hours a day.
The decision has been met with concern from local politicians and residents, who say it will make it harder for people to report crimes in person or seek help in emergencies.
Councillor Connie Hersch, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour, said, “Ealing has already suffered with the closure of its main police station. Now Acton’s reduced hours mean there’s no face-to-face access overnight anywhere in the borough. As the nights draw in, many more residents will feel unsafe.”
The local Liberal Democrats in Acton accused London’s Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan of breaking a manifesto pledge to maintain at least one 24-hour front counter in every borough. They described the changes as “shocking” and said they would further reduce trust between police and the public.
While Acton loses its 24-hour service, nearby Hammersmith Police Station — which had been earmarked for closure — has been granted a reprieve. It will remain open with the same reduced hours as Acton: 10am–10pm weekdays and 9am–7pm weekends.
Andy Slaughter MP for Hammersmith and Chiswick said he was pleased the Met had listened to community concerns, “Like many residents, I was worried about the loss of local access to police services. After extensive lobbying from residents, the council and myself, we received the positive news that Hammersmith counter will remain open.”
The Met originally proposed to reduce the number of police front counters from 37 to 19, but after public consultation it will now retain 27 — including Hammersmith. However, the force still plans to close 10 counters entirely, saving around £7 million as part of efforts to plug a £260 million budget shortfall.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said that with only about five per cent of crimes now reported in person, maintaining a large network of 24-hour counters was no longer sustainable.
“If we had more money, we’d spend it on neighbourhood policing and fighting knife crime before front desks,” he told the London Assembly. “The data shows front counters aren’t doing a massive amount to keep Londoners safe. Our plans reflect what Londoners told us — they prefer more locations open during the day, rather than a few open all night.”
Critics of the cuts argue that police front counters serve a vital role beyond crime reporting — acting as places of safety and guidance for those fleeing violence, dealing with mental health crises, or without access to phones or the internet.
Marina Ahmed, Chair of the Assembly’s Police and Crime Committee, said, “Front counters aren’t just for reporting crime. We’ve heard of people turning up in the middle of the night fleeing domestic abuse with nowhere else to go. They’re a lifeline for the vulnerable.”
The Met says that all stations will still have external phones connecting directly to control rooms, ensuring emergency contact remains available 24/7.
Mayor Sadiq Khan defended the revised plans, saying that prioritising neighbourhood policing over maintaining overnight desks was the “right decision” in the face of long-term government underfunding.
“When the facts change, I change my mind,” he said, explaining his reversal of a 2021 pledge to keep one 24-hour counter in each borough.
Opposition politicians accused the Mayor of “abandoning” communities. Susan Hall, leader of the Conservative group on the London Assembly, said, “People already find it difficult to report crime. Closing front counters overnight will make that even harder. It’s a disgrace that Londoners are losing visible policing because of political mismanagement.”
Across West London, residents have seen a decade of station closures and service reductions — from the loss of Ealing’s main station to the downgrading of Acton’s 24-hour access. Critics warn that this pattern risks further eroding confidence in local policing.
The Met counters that the shift reflects modern reporting habits and financial reality. Only a small fraction of crimes are now reported face-to-face, and the savings, it argues, will help keep more officers on patrol.
Still, for many in Acton, the change feels like a loss. As one local resident put it outside the station this week, “It’s not just about reporting crime — it’s about knowing there’s someone there if you need help in the middle of the night.”
Written with contributions from Kumail Jaffer – Local Democracy Reporter
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |