Labour MP Deirdre Costigan has launched a renewed campaign to reopen Southall police station, arguing that the town centre needs a permanent and visible policing presence to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour.
The Ealing Southall MP said the station had been closed for around a decade and argued that its absence had weakened public confidence.
She said:
Southall’s police station has been shuttered for 10 years, allowing criminals to think they can get away with crime and antisocial behaviour in our town centre.
Costigan added:
It’s time to pull the shutters back up.
Call for visible policing in Southall town centre
Costigan is asking residents to back her campaign and share her video calling for the station to reopen.
Her intervention comes amid continuing concern about antisocial behaviour in Southall. Ealing Council and the Metropolitan Police have previously carried out joint enforcement operations in the area targeting issues including drug dealing, illegal parking, street drinking and fly-tipping.
Southall has also recently seen a major emergency-services community roadshow, reflecting wider efforts by police, the council and other agencies to strengthen engagement with residents.
London has lost scores of police front counters
The wider backdrop is a substantial reduction in police stations and front counters across London.
Metropolitan Police figures show there were 154 front counters at the end of 2007, compared with 36 in 2024. In total, 130 front-counter locations closed to the public between January 2008 and 2024, while 92 former police sites were no longer part of the Met estate.
The Met has also confirmed that there were no permanent front-counter closures between 2022 and late 2023, meaning much of the reduction took place during the previous decade.
Costigan says residents need local reassurance
Costigan’s argument is that a physical police presence has value beyond simply providing somewhere to report crime.
For residents and businesses, a local station can provide reassurance, increase visibility and make it easier for communities to build relationships with neighbourhood officers.
Her campaign also reflects a broader debate across London about whether policing has become too remote from the communities it serves as traditional front counters have disappeared.
‘Pull the shutters back up’
Costigan has framed reopening the station as part of a wider effort to improve Southall town centre and tackle crime and antisocial behaviour.
Her message is that Southall should once again have a visible police base at the heart of the community — and she is asking residents to help build public pressure for the station to reopen.
