More than 4,000 people have signed a petition to save Dagenham police station from closure.

The proposed axing of the Rainham Road South site was announced two months ago as part of a drive by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) to make £400 million worth of savings across the force.

Since then, Jon Cruddas, MP for Dagenham and Rainham, has been battling to keep it open.

“Four thousand voices cannot be wrong,” he said.

“It is now vital that the Metropolitan Police and Mayor listen to the army of people saying no to the closure of our police station.

“The rise in violent crime demands a strong, visible response from our police - not surrender by austerity cuts. We need more investment to deal with issues like the epidemic of terrifying moped gangs, not less.

“I am truly stunned and humbled by the response of residents. In particular, I would like to thank all the people who went door to door, neighbour to neighbour, street to street with this petition. It is wonderful to see the power of a community coming together.”

Under the proposals, which are still being consulted on, each of the 32 boroughs policed by the Met would be left with just one 24 hour counter.

In Barking and Dagenham, this would be at Barking Learning Centre.

But Mr Cruddas is concerned it would take some people up to an hour to travel to Barking to report a crime.

“For the elderly, for those who can’t afford smartphones, for those who want to feel secure, we need our police stations,” he said.

“You cannot put a price on people’s safety.”

He now plans to hand over the petition to the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.

The mayor said: “My top priority is keeping Londoners safe, and I have been clear that the huge government cuts to the Metropolitan Police Service have left us with no choice but to take drastic action to protect the frontline of policing.

“I do not want to close any front counters or police stations and I understand the concern in our local communities.”

The consultation is set to close on Friday, October 6. To find out more and have your say, visit london.gov.uk/public-access