New Scotland Yard to be sold off as Met moves out to cut costs (From News Shopper)

New Scotland Yard to be sold off as Met moves out to cut costs

11:08am Tuesday 30th October 2012 in News By Heloise Wood

THE Met has announced cost-cutting plans which include moving out of New Scotland Yard and sharing borough commanders.

At a meeting with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) this morning (October 30) Met representatives discussed how the service could be improved and costs be reduced by 20 per cent, around £500 million, by 2015.

It follows a press conference which was held at New Scotland Yard, in Westminster, yesterday to discuss proposals.

Despite fears that Sydenham police station might be closed, the station was not one of the five listed for closure by Met representatives.

There are plans for the Met to move from New Scotland Yard (NSY), where it has resided since 1967, into the Curtis Green building, in Embankment, because the Met says is no longer fit for purpose and needs around £50 million in repairs over the next few years.

Deputy Commander Craig Mackey, Deputy Assistant Commander Mark Simmons and director of media and communications Martin Fewell spoke at the press conference about the challenges of reforming the Met whilst making it “leaner”.

Suggestions included sharing borough commanders and shutting a number of police station front counters, some of which only have one visitor per hour according to the Met.

Instead, it was suggested the Met could partner with local agencies and organisations such as supermarkets.

They said the “management ratio” also needs to be addressed with too many senior figures and not enough officers.

A number of police stations, South Norwood, Highbury Vale, Richmond, Walthamstow, Willesden Green, have been “approved for closure” although the Met representatives said it is still not definite that they will close.

However recommendations also included investment in safer neighbourhood teams and putting more officers on the street.

Chief Superintendent Russell Nyman discussed Sydenham’s rumoured closure on October 18 on an online web chat.

He said: "Sydenham is currently under occupied, meaning that the building is larger than needed, and is costly to run and maintain.

"I can confirm no formal decision has made by the Mayor's Office of Policing and Crime to the closure of the station."

The proposals will be discussed further with MOPAC, councillors, local authorities and agencies.

A public consultation will be published by the end of the year.