Petition signatures flood in on Hampstead Police Station

1.53.52pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 11th Oct 2005

Local Police have been very successful in recent months working our of local police stations in Hampstead and West Hampstead

Ed Fordham, who has been leading the campaign to save Hampstead Police Station said "I'm delighted with the reception we got from local people on Saturday in the High Street - we got over 900 signatures in just three hours and have delivered thousands of leaflets to many houses and flats in Hampstead.

"A number of local shops have offered to have the petition available to sign for their customers, I'm grateful to them and will be arranging that this week.

"The biggest response from local people was anger that we are having to go through this again. Local people want a local police station in the current location - it is effective, a great location and symbolic of the community presence that we have worked so hard to achieve. This is the wrong time for the police to cast doubt over the station's future,

"I will be writing to the Borough Commander Mark Heath and asking him to attend at least the next meeting of the Sector Working Group and address local people's concerns.

"Everyone accepts that the Station has limitations, indeed it was built in 1913 and is listed, but a bit of constructive and lateral thinking would enable it to be made much more 'fit for purpose'."