Summary
- Met Police make 1,376 arrests in London hotspots this summer
- Prolific offenders caught, including suspects behind 113 thefts in Waltham Forest and 15 raids on one Co-op.
- Safer Summer Streets campaign boosts visible policing and cuts offending across 20 town centres.
The Metropolitan Police on Wednesday (Aug 20) stated that it has made more than 1,300 arrests and "solved 163 per cent more cases of shoplifting" this year during a crackdown on crime and anti-social behaviour in 20 hotspots across London.
Officers continue to relentlessly target wanted and prolific offenders through increased and intelligence-led patrols and operations, as part of increased police and partner activity over the summer.
Among those arrested was a suspected shoplifter who has been charged with carrying out 113 offences in Waltham Forest, as well as a man who targeted the same Co-op in Notting Hill on 15 occasions.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ben Russell, the Met’s lead for Safer Summer Streets, said, "Town centres across London continue to see an enhanced police presence this summer, building on reductions in theft, burglary, knife crime and robbery achieved so far this year, and more shoplifting cases solved.
“Despite the Met facing significant demand elsewhere in the capital — including festivals, concerts, sporting events and large protests — we are relentlessly focusing our resources on tackling the crimes that matter most to Londoners. Every day, we are targeting the prolific offenders who make the lives of others a misery.
“Through precise community crimefighting and intensified multi-agency action in 20 hotspots areas, offending is down and arrests are up.”
The Met analysed crime data to identify the 20 town centres and high streets across London that have the biggest challenge with anti-social behaviour, theft and street crime.
Delivered in partnership with local authorities, each borough continues to see increased police and partner activity in hotspot areas including Stratford, Woolwich Town Centre, Finsbury Park, Croydon Town Centre, Shepherd's Bush Green, Elephant and Castle, Seven Sisters and the West End.
The intensified action is part of ongoing work by the Met and Mayor of London to boost local neighbourhood teams, enhance partnership working and put high-visibility policing at the heart of fighting crime and rebuilding trust.
Between 30 June and 10 August, there were 1,376 arrests in the 20 hotspot areas across London, up by a third compared to the same period last year. The number of cases solved is up 176 per cent.
The activity is part of the Home Office’s Safer Summer Streets campaign running until the end of September, which will see officers focusing on reducing criminality and anti-social behaviour.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said, “It's incredibly encouraging to see the impact of the Safer Summer Streets campaign in London is already having, with arrests up by a third and offending down following the Met’s crackdown in hotspot areas.
“Neighbourhood policing not only builds stronger, more connected communities where everyone feels secure, but also increases the public’s confidence in the police.
"That’s why I’ll continue to prioritise neighbourhood policing and provide record funding for the Met to tackle the issues that matter most to Londoners, including shoplifting, theft and anti-social behaviour, as we build a safer London for everyone.”
Crime and Policing Minister, Dame Diana Johnson said, “High streets and town centres are the very heart of our communities, but a decade of cuts to neighbourhood policing has left our town centres suffering from such little visible policing presence.
"We are working to turn this around. As part of our Plan for Change, we are boosting the number of neighbourhood police officers and delivering a summer blitz on town centre crime - sending a clear message to those who bring misery to our streets that their crimes will not go unpunished.
“These initial results from the Met are exactly what we want to see and demonstrate what we can achieve with a smart approach and more visible police presence, along with multi-agency action. I am grateful for their continued efforts to make streets safer for Londoners.”
The progress follows promising reductions in a number of crime types during the first six weeks of this financial year compared to the same period last year:
- Shoplifting – solved 163 per cent more cases this year
- Neighbourhood crime down by 15.3 per cent
- Knife crime down by 18.1 per cent
- Residential burglary down by 17.7 per cent
- Theft from the person down by 15.6 per cent
- Personal robbery down by 12.8 per cent