The Metropolitan Police force has made more than 140 arrests during a crackdown on crime in London’s West End, it has announced.
More than 100 additional officers were deployed as part of Operation Baselife, a week-long intelligence-led operation tackling offences such as shoplifting, phone theft and other anti-social behaviour.
The operation is part of increased police activity in the West End and other London crime hotspots over autumn and winter, as the Met continues to relentlessly target prolific offenders.
Superintendent Natasha Evans, who led the operation, said: “This shows that targeting prolific offenders in crime hotspots works. Our intelligence-led approach means we’re solving twice as many shoplifting cases and taking hundreds of offenders off the streets.
“Through this intensified action, we are continuing to ensure the West End remains a safe and welcoming place for residents, businesses and the millions of visitors who come here each month.
“We’re doubling down before Christmas, as the West End enters one of its busiest periods. Local officers, specialist teams and tech such as Live Facial Recognition will focus on the areas with the most crime to keep driving numbers down.”
Operation Baselife - which began on 3 November - brought together the Met, local authorities and partner organisations to tackle crime in the West End through a ”structured and intelligence-led” approach. Officers worked at specific times and places where offences were most likely to occur. Both uniformed and covert teams worked to target prolific offenders.
Between 1 April and 29 October, officers achieved promising reductions in several types of crime in the West End compared to the same period last year, with neighbourhood crime down by 20.7%. The Met has also solved 92% more shoplifting cases this year, it said.
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