The council has been successful in persuading the Metropolitan Police to reverse its decision to close the front counter at Bethnal Green Police Station.
The Police announced the decision in August to cut the number of front counters across London from 37 to 20. Bethnal Green Police Station is the only remaining police station with a front counter in Tower Hamlets.
Had it gone ahead, residents and victims of crime would have faced travelling to neighbouring boroughs to report crime face to face.
Lutfur Rahman, Executive Mayor, and Cllr Abu Talha Chowdhury, Cabinet Member for Public Protection and Integrated Enforcement, lobbied the Metropolitan Police by meeting with the Borough Commander, Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist and proposed a motion at the council’s Full Council meeting on Wednesday last week urging the police to reconsider its decision.
Today, the Metropolitan Police reversed its decision on Bethnal Green Police Station front counter. It will now remain open for 12 hours on weekdays and 10 hours on weekend days.
Lutfur Rahman, Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said:
It was simply not fair to the people of Tower Hamlets to close the only remaining front police counter in our borough.
That’s why I personally wrote to the Commissioner, and we consistently raised this issue with all levels of the police over several months to get this decision reversed.
I am delighted that we have achieved this for our residents and local businesses.
Cllr Abu Talha Chowdhury, Cabinet Member for Public Protection and Integrated Enforcement, said:
"We are really pleased that our efforts to reverse the decision have been successful.
"If you are a victim of crime, many people would prefer to speak to a police officer face to face rather than having to report it through a website. It was simply unacceptable for Tower Hamlets residents to have to travel to other boroughs to report crime where they live. We are glad that the police listened to our concerns."
Posted on Wednesday 15th October 2025