Save ED police station petition

[mlteenie]

Lib Dems have a stall outside Somerfield today. Petition has 3,000 signatures already apparently. Whether it wll work or not, I don't know.

[SeanMacGabhann]

Why on earth would anyone want to save that monstrosity?

You mean the service, not the building?

I refer you back to my first statement

[seanmlow]

The service must be saved, but pull that 60s nightmare down!

[mlteenie]

The building is horrendous, agreed.

I don't think you would really like the fuzz to leave, would you Sean?

[SeanMacGabhann]

I'm not convinced how useful the station is. I have twice had reason to contact them (once about a mugging and once about id theft) - both times they weren't interested and gave me another number to ring

Does the station (as in having one) deter crime? I know most us feel safer with one around but I don't believe it makes that much difference

And of course all this is QUITE apart from the reputation ED police have had in the past. The Irish people I knew when I moved here 7 years ago warned of some horrific stories re: Irish prisoners and there was a reputation for corruption generally

"The other was detective constable Neil Putnam, who had turned police supergrass against his former colleagues, including Clark, a long-time target of anti-corruption detectives. Putnam named several officers in his Sercs squad based at East Dulwich in south London as being involved in systematic corruption. Over the years they had stolen thousands of pounds, skimmed off drugs they had seized, recycling them through Clark's informant, Fleckney, who had the code-name Jack Higgins."

full story here

if you search google for "closing police stations effect" you get a raft of Telegraph and Mail stories - which reassures me that the sense of order in the universe is intact

Other reports about the effect

here

and

more hilariously, here

Crime generally? - worth having a look here (after many stations had already been closed)

"Ah but the lefty BBC and the stats office would lie, they are working for the government!" I hear... but then so are the police...

Vote for whoever you THINK will replace the stations - they won't

[mlteenie]

Go down to Somerfields and tell that to the councillor!

[SeanMacGabhann]

well, if I did do that, I doubt it would dissuade him from his course of action. He's a councillor and need public vote - saving the police station is easy money as far as collecting signatures and getting a public show of hands

I don't mean to cast aspersions on any of the work the councillor or party does generally - just that collecting signatures for a petition today is entirely logical from his point of view

If I sound overly negative I should point out that my opinion isn't cast in stone on this issue - but apart from an emotive "but we must have one!" I've not heard any good evidence to support the retention of all of them. But I'm all ears

[Michael Palaeologus]

I signed the "save Neros" petition today, but not the police station one. There is a perfectly good one in Camberwell with greater architectural merit and I don think that we will get any less a service by not having a station on the doorstep.

It is a perfect opportunity to open the KFC that the area so badly needs.

[andyhcfc]

As a newcomer (two years) to the "area" (Top end of Grove Lane) I was alarmed by the number of police cars andvans and screaming up and down Grove Lane. My partner explained that these cars come from ED, Peckham and Walworth Police Stations, as Camberwell is shut. I probably agree that having a Police Staion may not decrease crime, its down to policing policies and more of a zero tolerance to "petty" crime, showing a local interest in following up crimes, bobbies on the beat etc rather than online and telephone reporting.

What I don't understand is that if ED nick closes, how are they intending to police the area? More cars screaming around? Virtual policing? There is enough opportunistic crime around here to warrant more robust policing. On the occasions when we have had a theft (3 times, 3 attempts and counting)on the more serious crime, burglary, the police did respond quickly with a number of officers.

I guess my pint is, have the police consulted the area as to how they intend to police the area after ED closes and is this considered adequate? I would liek to see more Police presence day and night, foot, cyles and cars and a more interested response to all crimes!

[Pad]

But don't the LDs run this council?

[Ultraconsultancy]

Mike, Camberwell Police station is due to close soon too I think, in fact it may already have ceased to function. And while it may have a meritoriuos facade, I'm not sure that it is adaptable to any new use, probably having small and heavilly built rooms throughout, and no disabled access. ED's option to tear down the station and re-use the site for something useful is an opportunity to be taken.

[candj]

About a year ago I was walking by the ED Police station and had a brief chat with one of the officers who was standing outside greeting school children for a tour. The officer said that the building had been sold to (sorry to start the whole rumour thing again) M&S and that within 18 months - 2 years, it would become an M&S. In fact, it was M&S who put that fencing around the building because they were worried about the state of it. The PC said that ED police would be represented by a small office somewhere on LL (donut shop perhaps?) staffed by a few community wardens, etc. I live fairly close to the station and the two times I've had to unfortunately ring them I was diverted to Peckham so am not really sure what they do in that location.

[fish]

M & S will be of more use to the community than the present police station has been.

[dulwichmum]

But Fish dear heart, is M&S not a chain? I think that we need the ED police station. I should like some red telephone boxes too and a few district nurses on bicycles like Nurse Gladys Emanuel

http://www.woolworths.co.uk/product_images/10/51/27/10512739.jpg...

[mlteenie]

I believe the Met are closing it, not the council

[EDOldie]

These things change as the management of the force changes. The old East Dulwich nick,opposite the Uplands is still a police station of sorts i think and where the corrupt officer(s) were based. But became too small for purpose so they built the new one, particularly with horses in mind. Now the horses have gone it's too big for purpose. It is ugly but probably designed as a bit of a fortress in case we all take to the streets. Hotbed of radicalism this forum is.

Evening all. Non PC Oldie

[Blondie]

agree a KFC is a good idea

Michael Palaeologus Wrote:

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>

>

> It is a perfect opportunity to open the KFC that

> the area so badly needs.

[Michael Palaeologus]

District nurses on bicycles? God forbid. The should all be confined to the hospitals where they belong, ALL of them.

They would all park their bikes outside the KFC when they nipped in for a Zinger Tower Burger and so clutter up the pavement.

[Asset]

they'd probably ride on the pavement too.

[djw]

Service is terrible at Lordship lane police station. Waste of time it being there. Everytime Ive been in there, there has been no one at reception and no one responding to the bell on the desk no matter how long you ring it.

Its easier and a better response to call the Met on the phone.

Pull it down asap and put a couple more patrols in the area on foot. Would do better for public relations and service.

[snorky]

service is invariably rubbish from coppers.

Bur regarding the cop shop, I think its a bit iconic - anmd im not being Ironic - it cerianily a memorable brutal building - who designed it ?

[PeckhamRose]

I attended a community Police Ward panel the other day at Harris Girls School. The chair is the post office man from Forest Hill Road, Nilesh.

The station will close. But not till a replacement site is found. Stop panicking. You shall be served by a better more modern police force in a more modern station. What's more worrying is the WAY the police are being told to serve us, not the buildings they shall serve from. Remember how the doctors surgeries sprung up? All nice modern converted banks and the like. Ahem.

[Cassius]

djw Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Service is terrible at Lordship lane police

> station. Waste of time it being there. Everytime

> Ive been in there, there has been no one at

> reception and no one responding to the bell on the

> desk no matter how long you ring it.

>

> Its easier and a better response to call the Met

> on the phone.

You've obviously had very different service to me. I think I have gone to ED police station about 12 times and have always been treated quickly and politely, indeed kindly. A couple of times when I have been hassled on the bus on the way home I have stayed on until the police station and have never been followed up the stairs.

If ED station closes I would have to go (on foot) to Peckham - where they have to deal with real crimes (even if I felt safe enough to walk in that part of Peckham alone at night).

The building itself is dreadful, but the police SHOULD provide a service to a community the size of ED

[mamafeelgood]

try using your local safer neighbourhoods team instead of the police station. i know that we have one in south camberwell and they are fantastic. i also used the herne hill team when i was on the brixton borders and again they were brilliant. they are there to deal with local problems and work closely with other neighbourhood services. so deal with non 999 type problems.

each time i have called and left a message they have got straight back to me with all the info i needed and more, plus when needed they will check out your concerns.

good on ken for bringing them in: they have a made a real difference to my attitude to the met and the support that i have received has been great.

[AnotherPaul]

From personal experience the rozzers at the ED station don't combat crime and so can leave. That building would make a lovely neo-brutalist uber-tat-shop which could wipe out all the other tat-shops in one go. Anyone who like to invest in this idea contact?

ap