I have long argued that Havering has not received an appropriate share of Met police resources. This was clearly emphasised in 2021 when towns in Havering did not feature within the list of 19 town centres across London to benefit from additional town centre teams. In particular, I share residents’ views that additional patrols are needed in Hornchurch town centre given its night-time economy and, sadly, this argument was further reinforced by a spate of incidents earlier this year.

I therefore welcome the additional police patrols by emergency response team officers launched last month. The additional patrols will allow officers to respond to emergency calls in Hornchurch and the surrounding areas faster while providing a high visibility presence to deter criminal activity and reassure residents. The team will be bolstered by additional fleet vehicles in July and in October.

On top of these patrols, my campaign for the Met to retain Hornchurch Police Station continues. The Mayor’s original argument for disposing of the station has been further undermined given by the Government’s recruitment 20,000 new police officers – a manifesto commitment. The Mayor recently confirmed he would retain Uxbridge Police Station, claiming he had been ‘listening to local residents and campaigners in places like Uxbridge’. I was pleased to hear the Mayor is listening, so I have written once again calling for the retention of Hornchurch Police Station given that over 1200 residents have supported our campaign. I have asked the Mayor provide further clarity on the police stations that he has asked the Metropolitan Police to retain and to confirm if Hornchurch Police Station is among the list.