A councillor has strengthened her call to the government to invest in policing.

Cllr Krystle Fonyonga, cabinet member for community safety and public health, says the Conservative Government should not be cutting funding to the Metropolitan police.

She and Enfield’s Labour Council criticise proposals to close Enfield Police Station while keeping Edmonton Green Police Station as the only one in operation in the borough.

In a letter to the Enfield Independent Cllr Fonyonga explains that the Conservative Group voted against an Enfield Council motion to write to the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, asking for increased police funding and additional resources.

This resulted in the Labour administration funding 16 police officers in a period of increasing terrorism and growing crime rates.

Cllr Fonyonga, said: “To me it’s an absolute priority of any government to keep its residents safe.

“Systematically slashing funding to the police since 2010 is not doing this.

“It’s really frustrating that the Conservatives think that they can continue to protect the public on the cheap.

“Crime statistics in Enfield are following the national trend.

“They are increasing slowly.

“There is a direct relationship, in my view, between the government cuts in funding to the police and crime increasing nationally.

“I think it’s absolutely disgusting, and am angry that all our hard work is not being met by the Conservative government.

“Enfield Council has funded 16 extra police officers itself, and there is the new CCTV system in place to help keep crime rates down.

“I wrote to the government back in the summer to demand a stop to the cuts, and for them to invest in policing properly.

“Government funding to the police is a disgrace, and party politics aside, demand more money be given to Enfield for this.

“The Enfield Mayor plans to keep things consistent with two ward officers on each and every ward in the borough so that officers are closer to communities and interact with the public.

“Officers will use the latest technologies so they don’t need to return to stations to report incidents.

“We will make sure that this new approach is as user friendly as possible.

“As well as encouraging the reporting of incidents online, the telephone emergency services remain.

“In the end, it all comes down to choices.

“Historically, Conservative governments have made bad choices, and the Labour administration will continue to campaign tirelessly.”

The Metropolitan Police Service has reported a 22 percent reduction in crimes at the front counter of stations over the past decade.

A Metropolitan Police Service trial of online crime reporting revealed that 1,200 crimes per week were reported digitally and online.

The consultation, which ended on October 6, considered where all London boroughs locate their police, and how they can be more accessible to the public.

For information on the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime consultation of public access and engagement, visit www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/mayors-office-policing-and-crime-mopac/mopac-consultation/share-your-views-accessing-met.