As part of her long-running campaign to save Hornchurch Police Station, Julia Lopez MP wrote again to Met Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, to seek an update on plans for the vital local police base. Sir Mark has now replied to suggest a decision will now be pushed back to the summer.

Over 1400 local residents have supported the MP's petition to keep Hornchurch Police Station in the Met’s estate. Last year, Mrs Lopez presented the petition to Sir Mark at New Scotland Yard and was told that a decision would likely be made in summer 2023. However, despite the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, stating last July that “the case for retaining more police station sites across the capital is strong”, a final call on the future of Hornchurch Station remains to be taken. Mrs Lopez hopes that when the Met’s Estate Strategy eventually gets published, it will finally deliver news that Hornchurch will not be sold off - bringing to an end years of uncertainty.

Mayor Khan revealed his intention to sell Hornchurch Police Station in 2017. Mrs Lopez worked with local campaigners at the time to prevent the loss of this critical policing base, and with the support of hundreds of residents, secured for Havering Council an option to purchase the station from the Metropolitan Police and lease some of the site back to them, guaranteeing a police presence in the area.

Since then, progress on implementing this deal has stalled. Mrs Lopez has repeatedly lobbied the Mayor to clarify his plans and keep the building in the Met’s estate so that it can remain an operational police base to support community policing in the Hornchurch & Upminster constituency.

While writing to the Met Commissioner, Mrs Lopez also praised local officers for their outstanding courage in responding to the attack on Havering resident, Bernard Fowler, who was murdered at Harold Wood station at the end of February. Mrs Lopez wanted to highlight officers’ incredible bravery in attending the scene and the dignity they gave Mr Fowler, in the hope that their remarkable service can receive formal recognition.

Finally, Mrs Lopez also raised with Sir Mark the strong initial results from the Clear, Hold, Build scheme in Harold Hill, which aims to drive down organised crime, including shoplifting, in the Farnham Road area. The scheme has already seen a 50% reduction in offences within the vicinity. After speaking to shopkeepers and traders in Harold Hill with local officers, Mrs Lopez invited the five major retailers in Farnham Road to a roundtable at Harold Hill library to discuss the project and how they could further support efforts to drive criminals from the area.

Retailers suggested that reporting rates for shoplifting offences could be improved by extending the period in which shops can provide digital evidence from 14 days to 28. Mrs Lopez put this suggestion to the Met Commissioner who confirmed that the measure is being actively considered.

Commenting, Julia Lopez MP said:

While it is disappointing that the Met are not yet able to provide a definitive response on the future of Hornchurch Police Station, I am pleased to hear that their work to review their estate is drawing to a close. I hope that, when the Estate Strategy is published in the summer, it will be clear that the wishes of the 1,400 + residents who have supported the campaign have been respected and we can protect neighbourhood policing in this part of Havering.