More than one thousand people have signed a petition intended to save a vital police station from potential closure.

Caren Duhig has called on Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Prime Minister Theresa May to ensure that South Harrow Police Station, in Northolt Road, remains open.

Mr Khan's office has reassured residents that the station is not under threat. As part of its draft strategy on policing, on the list of front counters set to close, Harrow is considered safe. 

In the petition, Ms Duhig argues that closing the facility would only exacerbate a “rising crime problem” in the wider Harrow area, particularly with Wealdstone Police Station no longer operational.

“We believe that the closure of South Harrow Police Station will have a negative and destabilising effect on our community,” she said.

“It is one of the few remaining stations in our borough and, without it, our community will be at risk.”

Ms Duhig, who runs the #Fixit Harrow Network, explained how residents are feeling increasingly unsafe in their area and cited recent knife crimes and car robberies as evidence of a growing problem.

She added that such anxieties would hardly dissipate if one of the borough’s key police stations was shut down and its duties transferred to a neighbouring authority.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has considered merging the commands of some boroughs to deal with imposed funding cuts.

Gareth Thomas, MP for Harrow West who has a similar petition, said: “We’ve lost 160 officers in Harrow since 2010 – a third of the force. Some Harrow arrests are taken to Colindale already.

“The Met Police Commissioner is saying the only way to maintain police numbers at their existing strength is to close police buildings.

“If Harrow police station closes, police response times will be much slower as a result.”

Residents have backed Ms Duhig’s campaign, with Kerrie Low, who has lived in Harrow for 15 years, commenting that a lack of stable base in the borough would hamper an “already overstretched force”.

Nicola Harris, added: “You can’t walk through [Wealdstone] with confidence that you’ll be safe.

“Closing a station like South Harrow will have the same effect if not worse. It is a visible reminder that the police force is present and that law and order will prevail.”

Acknowledging that the Met has had to find £600m worth of savings – with a further £400m set to be cut by 2020 – Mr Khan’s office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), in collaboration with the force, set up a consultation and enhancement strategy for working with the public.

Asim Bashir, from the Met, said: “We are committed to providing the best service for Londoners to use, which allows us to deliver an effective and appropriate response.

“This means maximising the value the public gets from our resources, including officer, staff and our estate.

“We will be working with MOPAC to engage the public across London to explain our approach and listen to their feedback.”

To sign the petition, click here. For a copy of MOPAC's draft strategy, visit https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/draft_public_access_strategy.pdf