Residents are demanding a greater police presence on the streets and the reopening of police station front counters as concerns about crime rates persist. A motion brought before Kensington and Chelsea Council's Full Council meeting on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, highlighted these demands, urging the Mayor of London to deploy more officers and restore full services at Kensington and Notting Hill Police Stations.

The motion, moved by Councillor Stéphanie Petit and seconded by Councillor Georgia Hardisty, called on the Mayor of London to put more police on our streets and to reopen 24/7 police front counters, for example at Kensington Police Station, and reopen a full service at Notting Hill Police Station. Councillor Lucy Shaw also noted that the Met made to Grenfell United, that that front counter would remain open. They closed it without any consultation. We are the only London borough, in a London borough, without a front counter.

The motion also called for the introduction of a nighttime enforcement team and 50 new CCTV cameras across the borough, with a report to be brought to the Leadership Team during this term, as was promised in the popular local Conservative manifesto.

Councillor Petit stated, Residents are telling us that all is not well. In my own ward of Norland, a few weeks ago, residents were shaken by reports of a stabbing in Portland Road... Our residents do not ask for the moon. They ask for a police station with their lights on.

The council acknowledged its role in supporting the police and tackling anti-social behaviour. Councillor Johnny Thalassites, Lead Member for Resident Services, Planning, and Enforcement, stated that crime has been falling in this borough, providing specific data: Knife crime is down 41% in this borough year on year. Robberies of mobile phones, referred to by Councillor Reason earlier, are down by 36% year on year in Kensington and Chelsea. And we've also seen burglaries and thefts down by 14% in the past year. He added, So there is good progress being made, and we should be grateful to the police for the work that they're doing to make this area safer.

Councillor Jack Reason, opposition councillor for Colville, expressed concern about rising shoplifting among young people, linking it to the cost-of-living crisis. He noted that The single biggest crime, as I'm sure you may be aware, is phone theft, which accounts for 33.8% of all crime in the wards, mostly professional gangs from outside the area targeting tourists and visitors. Burglary and theft from vehicles make up around 11%, and drug offences last quarter were 1.89%. But the crime that worries me the most, and the one rising fastest among young people, is shoplifting to sell on. And that is a symptom of the cost-of-living crisis, which, by the way, this council is doing nothing to tackle.

The proposed nighttime enforcement team will have ward-specific training to address ward-specific challenges. Councillor Ida Idris supported the proposal, stating that Residents don't stop experiencing antisocial behavior at 5 o'clock, and our enforcement response shouldn't stop there either. That's why a dedicated nighttime enforcement team is such a welcome proposal.

However, the motion faced some criticism. Councillor Lucy Shaw, speaking for the Labour group, raised concerns about the outsourcing of street enforcement, suggesting it could incentivise issuing more penalty notices and potentially lead to negative interactions with residents. She pointed to Harrow Council's suspension of private enforcement operations, noting, Just last month, the Harrow Council suspended their private enforcement operations with the same company that the Kensington and Chelsea Council engaged for the pilot scheme, after two of the officers there threatened a member of the public.

Despite these reservations, the motion to introduce a nighttime enforcement team and additional CCTV cameras was carried. The council also cited the introduction of a street enforcement team that issued over 8,000 fixed penalty notices in the past 12 months. Councillor Thalassites also highlighted the success of CCTV in reducing crime, citing a 13% drop in overall crime rates where cameras are present.

The full council meeting agenda can be found here, and the public reports pack is available here.