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I wanted to provide an update regarding theft from motor vehicles, which members around this area have highlighted as an issue of concern on the Met Engage priority survey. 🚨 Operation Focus: Tackling Two-Wheeled Crime 🚨
A multi-agency operation, designed by your SNT, bringing together your local Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT), officers from multiple wards, off-borough units, specialist vehicle teams from VRES, Home Office, Local Authority, Road Safety and Modern Slavery teams, boosted by the attendance of our fantastic Special Constabulary.
The latest phase of Operation Focus, designed to suppress the rise in two-wheeled enabled crime, tackle Violence Against Women and Girls, Robbery and street crime, delivered outstanding results:
✅ 12 E-bikes and motorcycles seized in under 90 minutes – these vehicles can no longer be used in crime. All riders were prosecuted for multiple offences and will face court action or prosecution, and the bikes will be destroyed.
✅ 2 arrests for serious offences.
✅ Charges authorised for a wide range of crimes, including:
• Possession of Class A drugs
• Possession of Class B drugs
• Obstructing a drugs search
• Assaulting a Constable
• Driving without insurance
• Driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence
• Illegal entry/overstaying
While keeping the borough safe, officers also celebrated with the community at two local Christmas lights events. Later, two curious riders who came to inspect the seized scooters and motorcycles whilst officers were guarding them ended up having their own two wheels seized – both will receive a minimum of 6 penalty points and a £300 fine for riding without insurance and without a valid licence, and will see their rides destroyed.
Our partners from Greenwich Local Authority joined us to raise awareness about the dangers of E-scooters, fire risks, and lack of insurance. They also handed out hi-vis jackets to lawful riders to promote road safety during the darker months.
Stop and search has been utilised where appropriate to detect other offences in the area, ensuring a total package of crime fighting.
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Operation Focus Impact So Far:
📌 32 arrests for various offences
📌 64 vehicles seized – hitting criminals where in their pockets and removing them from crime
📌 126 traffic offence reports – improving road safety
📌 1 PG9 issued
📌 344 law-abiding riders engaged with safety and crime prevention advice
📌 Stop and search deployed appropriately to detect further offences
We are committed and laser focused on working as hard as we can to get our residents the results you want and are determined to keep our streets safe. Thank you to everyone who supports this work – Our efforts on this are unrelenting.
🌐 Check out our Be Switched On campaign for help and advice on securing your phone: Be Switched On | Metropolitan Police
 Having personal items stolen from your vehicle is an upsetting experience, and we are determined to find and arrest those who break the law. We will keep you updated with what we are doing to tackle this in your area, but in the meantime, please follow the below advice to help protect your belongings. Check that your vehicle is locked and secure every time you leave it. Thieves often look for easy opportunities to steal from vehicles. They will usually try the handles until they get lucky and find one that has been left unlocked. Keep your keys safe, out of view when at home and away from your front door. If you have a keyless entry vehicle, keep the key well away from the vehicle while at home and turn off wireless signals on your fob when it’s not being used. Consider putting the keys in a screened or signal blocking pouch, such as a Faraday Bag and check that it is still working every few months. Remove all items from view by taking them with you or putting them in the boot out of sight. Thieves will look for any items on display. Things like clothes, documents or an old bag might not seem like valuables, but they could still tempt a thief. Ensure you remove all other clues there might be valuables linked to the car, such as phone chargers or sat-nav mounts. Park your vehicle in a private garage if you can. If you do not have access to one, try to park in a well –lit open space. Try to use public car parks that are part of the police approved Park Mark safer parking scheme. Secure your number plates with tamper resistant screws to avoid them being stolen and used by others.
If you ever experience this issue or have information regarding an incident, please report it using our online reporting tools at https://www.met.police.uk/, speak to an operator in our Force Communications Room via our online web chat or call the non-emergency number 101. Alternatively, you can stay 100% anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their untraceable online form at crimestoppers-uk.org. We are working on our brand-new strategy for how we police London and we want your help. Our New Met for London: Phase 2 strategy will guide how we deliver on behalf of Londoners over the next three years. | 
