At a glance
• More than 140 people have been arrested in a week-long Met Police crime crackdown in London’s West End
• In excess of 100 extra officers were deployed to tackle offences including shoplifting and phone theft
• Offenders snared include phone thieves targeting people at an ice rink and a prolific upskirter
More than 140 people have been arrested as part of a week-long Metropolitan Police operation targeting crime in London's West End.
Over 100 additional officers were deployed to tackle offences including shoplifting and phone theft as part of Operation Baselife.
Those arrested included two phone thieves operating at a Leicester Square ice rink and a prolific upskirter caught covertly filming women as they queued to use the toilet in a Soho cafe.
On November 4, two men were arrested after covert officers observed them trying to steal mobile phones from women at an ice rink. Officers searched the men and found several stolen phones on them, with one returned to its owner.
The following day, covert officers arrested a suspect for an upskirting offence after a man was caught standing behind two women and filming their buttocks as they waited for the bathroom in a coffee shop. After seizing the man's phone, officers discovered a significant number of similar videos taken around London.
Superintendent Natasha Evans, who led the Met's operation in London's West End, said: “This operation 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.
“Our officers continue to tackle crimes that matter most to Londoners through highly visible, intelligence-led policing that builds trust in our communities.”
Between April 1 and October 29, officers achieved reductions in several types of crime in the West End compared to the same period last year, including a 22.3% reduction in knife crime and a 23.7% fall in theft from a person.
