Arrests for anti-social behaviour in London increased by a third compared with the previous year, with more than 1,300 arrests between 30 June and 10 August across 20 identified hotspot town centres. The Met analysed crime data to identify high streets facing the biggest challenges from anti-social behaviour, theft and street crime. Notable cases include a suspected shoplifter charged with 113 offences in Waltham Forest over 10 days and a man found with seven stolen phones in Tower Hamlets. Police activity combines plain clothes and uniformed officers, thorough investigations and multi-agency action under the Home Office Safer Summer Streets campaign running until the end of September. Targeted boroughs include Stratford, Woolwich, Finsbury Park, Croydon, Shepherds Bush, Elephant and Castle, Seven Sisters and the West End.
The main issue is prolific offenders, they will come in stores and essentially clear shelving units, they're shoplifting in bulk and the values are high. The work we've been doing for a few years now has been about targeting the prolific offenders with plain clothes officers, uniformed officers and thorough investigations. We've been linking their offending up so that when we charge them, it's for multiple, say five or more offences.
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. Through precise community crimefighting and intensified multi-agency action in 20 hotspots areas, offending is down and arrests are up.
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