The MP for Harpenden and Berkhamsted has launched a bid to save Berkhamsted's police station from closure.
Liberal Democrat MP Victoria Collins is asking for the public to sign a petition to avoid the loss of a dedicated neighbourhood policing team.
The MP warns that losing the station would deal a "serious blow" to visible policing across the town and surrounding rural communities.
"Berkhamsted deserves a proper police presence, not a postcode lottery where visibility depends on whether a lease deal can be struck," she began.
"I've heard from residents and officers alike that community policing is the bedrock of public safety in our town, and that's exactly what's now under threat.
"If the station closes without a proper alternative in place, we could lose not just a building, but the neighbourhood team that knows our streets, our communities, and our residents.
"We must maintain a police station in Berkhamsted for our town and also the surrounding villages."
The station currently houses the Berkhamsted neighbourhood policing team and serves as a vital operational base for officers responding to 999 calls in the area.
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MP Collins has been in direct contact with Hertfordshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, Jonathan Ash-Edwards, raising concerns about the impact on community visibility and public confidence.
In talks, PCC Ash-Edwards has confirmed that a break clause in the lease has been activated, with no agreement yet reached, leaving the station's future in doubt.
MP Collins has written to the PCC urging him to prioritise maintaining the Berkhamsted Police station to ensure that there is no reduction in the neighbourhood policing presence that residents rely on.
She is also calling on the government to provide better financial settlements for policing, a situation which is directly contributing to the pressure on community policing assets.
"The financial pressures driving this situation are not accidents - they are the direct consequence of years of underfunding and inadequate settlements from central government," the MP added.
"This government must give police forces the resources and precept flexibility they need to protect front-line community assets."
MP Collins urges everyone in Berkhamsted and the surrounding villages to sign the petition and send a clear message "our neighbourhood policing team must stay".
"People across Berkhamsted and the villages deserve a police station that's visible, central, and here for the long term - not one that's quietly negotiated away," she concluded.
Hertfordshire Constabulary has been contacted for further comment.
The petition can be found here https://www.hbld.uk/police
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