The Richmond MP has announced a new petition to bring back a permanent police presence to the centre of Richmond against the background of rise in antisocial behaviour, crime, car and bike thefts.

Sarah Olney, together with the Richmond Society and local councillors, argue that the closure of the police station in 2017 has left the community vulnerable.

It is claimed that Richmond is seen as a soft target by criminal gangs from other parts of the capital who congregate on Richmond Green, on the Riverside and in other green spaces – as well as the rail station.

The situation normally gets worse as the weather improves through the spring and summer, while residents have reported a large number of high value car thefts, particularly involving Range Rovers and Porsches.

Richmond's police station in Red Lion Street was closed and developed into flats and a pizza restaurant as part of a wider cost cutting effort dating back to Boris Johnson's time as mayor.

The closure programme has continued under Labour's London Mayor Sadiq Khan, however there are now pressures to reverse the strategy.

The Richmond Park MP, Sarah Olney, said: "When the police station closed in 2017, Richmond's police forces were rehomed two miles away across the river in Twickenham.

"Since then, I have had many residents tell me that they have witnessed a rise in car thefts, burglaries, and anti-social behaviour. These are crimes that a strong local police presence can help deter, but without a permanent presence in our community, the Met are increasingly struggling to achieve this goal."

She said the Met Police are proposing a review of their estates strategy, which decides the location of police stations, as part of a wider effort to restore public trust and rebuild connections to the community.

Sarah Olney said: "I hope to be able to show the police that there is overwhelming local support for a new police station in our community. For this reason, I have started a petition to bring back Richmond Police station."

She has urged to sign the petition via this link – https://www.saraholney.com/richmond-police-station-petition?utm_campaign=3a182569-c71e-416a-8045-86f55cf23c76&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail&cid=ed6b71a1-aff5-4f5b-a31b-e09b133b4953