BRENTFORD police station is to reopen to the public again, as a station where crimes can be reported and people can pass information to officers. The station was closed to public access in May 2000, although it has still been used as a base for police operations since then.

The reopening of the Front Desk operation will be on March 29, and will feature a display by Hounslow borough police of some of their newly deployed measures. They have obtained a mobile CCTV van, exclusively for local use, which can be moved around the borough at short notice. They also plan to increase the numbers of police on push-bikes, enabling visible policing over a wide area.

Seema Malhotra, the Labour London Assembly candidate for Hounslow, was among the first to welcome news of the reopening. She said: "Since 2000 the number of police in Hounslow has increased by 15 per cent and there are now more police in London than ever before". She congratulated Hounslow police on their success at reducing crime in Brentford and Isleworth, which saw a 4 per cent fall in crime last year.

"Labour London assembly is committed to providing the police with more resources to continue the fight against crime."