More than 200 arrests have been made in an operation involving nine U.K police forces to tackle drug supply and linked violence on roads.
Officers from the Metropolitan (Met), Surrey, Kent, Essex, Hertfordshire, Thames Valley, Hampshire, City of London and British Transport Police worked to disrupt county lines gang activity in order to reduce gang, drug and weapon based violence.
During the three-day operation that concluded on September 18, officers used Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and intelligence to target vehicles linked to violent crime.
Overall 1,065 officers were involved in the effort which focused on arterial routes and motorways in and around London such as the M25, M11, M4 and the M20.
The operation resulted in:
- 230 arrests for offences including: attempted murder, possession with intent to supply class A and B drugs, possession of offensive weapons, possession of firearms, assault and possession of criminal property.
- 22 knives/weapons recovered.
- 54 vehicles seized
- 62 illegal items, such as drugs, seized
- 6 warrants executed
A range of officers from the Met were involved, including the Violent Crime Taskforce, Operation Venice, Tactical Firearms Officers, Dog Support Unit, Roads and Transport Policing Command, as well as Specialist Crime Officers.
Chief Inspector Jack May Robinson from the Violent Crime Taskforce said: “This three-day operation involved neighboring forces we continuously work with as part of our day to day policing. We’ve built on those relationships to work together and drive down on those using the road network to facilitate their criminal activity.
“Some of the individuals arrested are extremely dangerous, lead criminal life styles and exploit vulnerable people to run drugs and commit crime. Due to the need to safeguard those who have been exploited, we resourced a dedicated phone-line of trained officers to give specialist advice to officers to ensure the best care and response possible.
Read more at the Metropolitan Police
