Well. We've already written about potential police station closures but we didn't see this one coming: the Metropolitan Police are thinking about selling off their headquarters at New Scotland Yard to save cash.
Budget cuts mean London's police need to save around £500m by 2015. A meeting this morning between Stephen Greenhalgh, Boris's Deputy Mayor for Policing, and Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey revealed that Richmond, Willesden Green, Highbury Vale, Walthamstow and South Norwood police stations are earmarked for sale as well as the HQ. Boris Johnson has repeatedly promised that where a police station or front counter is closed, an equivalent or better version will be provided.
A number of operations have already gone from New Scotland Yard, which can house 3,000 staff. The plan is to move into a building in Canon Row which can take around 500-800, depending on who you read; even with the slimlining already underway it looks like jobs will be cut. These are all currently proposals and have to go out to public consultation and local politicians.
None of this, however, addresses what we feel to be the real issue. If Scotland Yard is no longer based at Scotland Yard, what do we call it?
Photo by kenjonbro from the Londonist Flickr pool
