A two-day operation saw 17 stolen vehicles recovered and 14 arrests made as more than 60 officers came together to tackle a rise in motor vehicle crime causing concern to local communities.
Operation Huntsman was a large cross border operation involving officers from the Met and Kent Police using Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to track down offenders.
A total of 15 vehicles were also seized and 16 traffic offences reported during the operation. The arrests were made for suspected offences including robbery, theft of a motor vehicle, possession with intent to supply class A drugs, dangerous driving and failing to stop for police. Among the stolen vehicles recovered were a BMW, a Jaguar and a delivery van containing parcels.
Several weapons were found including knives, a baseball bat and a stun gun.
The operation built on the work of a new motor vehicle crime unit set up by the Met’s South East Command Unit a year ago. This followed concerns raised by Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham residents around motor vehicle crime with more than half of local ward panels choosing this as a priority issue to tackle.
The area has seen a rise in offences, particularly high value keyless car thefts and catalytic converter thefts. Last year there were 2,608 vehicle thefts in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham. In the first nine months of this year, almost 300 of one make of vehicle alone were stolen from Greenwich, Lewisham and Bromley, and Dartford and Sevenoaks in Kent. Of 4,606 offences of theft from a vehicle, 18 per cent were of catalytic converters.
Many of these have been violent offences with gangs arming themselves with baseball bats, iron bars, machetes and more recently BB guns. As well as stealing cars to sell on, either complete or for parts, offenders also use the vehicles to commit other crimes.
Officers have spent the last year gathering information about individuals and organised crime gangs and carrying out a range of operations. These have concentrated on violent criminals using the road network and motor vehicle thieves who cross the Met/Kent border to commit offences.
Successes include in February the recovery of a pistol, silencer and 11 rounds of ammunition linked to the theft of a high value car in Bexley.
Chief Inspector Russ Joao, from South East Command Unit, said: “We’ve really listened to what local people have been telling us they are concerned about. The rise in motor vehicle crime has had a big impact on the lives of many of our residents and we’ve taken significant action over the last 12 months to tackle this issue.
“Alongside our new proactive unit working day in and day out, Operation Huntsman allowed us to work with colleagues in Kent Police to actively target offenders with some great results.
“Our work does not stop here and there will be more operations in the future as well as crime prevention initiatives, such as catalytic converter marking events, to help people avoid becoming a victim of this type of offence.”
The operation on 28 and 29 September involved officers from Met local policing teams, the Roads and Transport Policing Command, the Violence Suppression Unit, ANPR Interceptor teams, the National Police Air Service and Kent’s Swanley Community Policing Team. Also invited to see the operation were the chairs of Sidcup and St Mary and St James ward panels so they could let their local communities know the action being taken to tackle the issue.
The operation focused on the areas south of the A2 to north of the A20 and the A2 Bexley Village North through Crayford and up to Slade Green and Erith. Of those arrested, two have been charged with more minor offences and the remainder released under investigation or bailed while enquiries continue.
Here's what you can do to help keep your vehicle safe:
- Always leave your car locked and secured. Lots of modern vehicles fold in their wing mirrors when locked – so very easy for thieves to spot when a vehicle has not been locked.
- Take valuables with you when you leave the vehicle.
- Consider investing in steering wheel locks, pedal locks, immobilisers and tracking devices.
- Key fob protectors (Faraday bags) help prevent keyless car thefts.
- Consider installing driveway posts.
- Visit the Secured by Design website for more information – https://www.securedbydesign.com/guidance/crime-prevention-advice/vehicle-crime
+ We're investing in what we call 'precise community crime fighting' - involving communities in our decisions to tackle issues that matter to them.
Source: Met News (11/10/2022)
