Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police
The Metropolitan Police Service has made more than 1,300 arrests during a crackdown on crime and anti-social behaviour in 20 hotspots across London.
Officers continue to relentlessly target wanted and prolific offenders through increased and intelligence-led patrols and operations, as part of increased police and partner activity over the summer.
Among those arrested was a suspected shoplifter who has been charged with carrying out 113 offences in Waltham Forest over 10 days, as well as a man who targeted the same Co-op in Notting Hill on 15 occasions.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ben Russell, the Met’s lead for Safer Summer Streets, said:
“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.
“Despite the Met facing significant demand elsewhere in the capital — including festivals, concerts, sporting events and large protests — we are relentlessly focusing our resources on tackling the crimes that matter most to Londoners. Every day, we are targeting the prolific offenders who make the lives of others a misery.
“Through precise community crimefighting and intensified multi-agency action in 20 hotspots areas, offending is down and arrests are up.”
The Met analysed crime data to identify the 20 town centres and high streets across London that have the biggest challenge with anti-social behaviour, theft and street crime.
Delivered in partnership with local authorities, each borough continues to see increased police and partner activity in hotspot areas including Stratford, Woolwich Town Centre, Finsbury Park, Croydon Town Centre, Shepherd’s Bush Green, Elephant and Castle, Seven Sisters and the West End.
The intensified action is part of ongoing work by the Met and Mayor of London to boost local neighbourhood teams, enhance partnership working and put high-visibility policing at the heart of fighting crime and rebuilding trust.
Between 30 June and 10 August, there were 1,376 arrests in the 20 hotspot areas across London – up by a third compared to the same period last year. The number of cases solved is up 176 per cent.
The activity is part of the Home Office’s Safer Summer Streets campaign running until the end of September, which will see officers focusing on reducing criminality and anti-social behaviour.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:
“It’s incredibly encouraging to see the impact of the Safer Summer Streets campaign in London is already having, with arrests up by a third and offending down following the Met’s crackdown in hotspot areas.
“Neighbourhood policing not only builds stronger, more connected communities where everyone feels secure, but also increases the public’s confidence in the police. That’s why I’ll continue to prioritise neighbourhood policing and provide record funding for the Met to tackle the issues that matter most to Londoners, including shoplifting, theft and anti-social behaviour, as we build a safer London for everyone.”
Crime and Policing Minister, Dame Diana Johnson said:
“High streets and town centres are the very heart of our communities, but a decade of cuts to neighbourhood policing has left our town centres suffering from such little visible policing presence.
“We are working to turn this around. As part of our Plan for Change, we are boosting the number of neighbourhood police officers and delivering a summer blitz on town centre crime – sending a clear message to those who bring misery to our streets that their crimes will not go unpunished.
“These initial results from the Met are exactly what we want to see and demonstrate what we can achieve with a smart approach and more visible police presence, along with multi-agency action. I am grateful for their continued efforts to make streets safer for Londoners.”
The progress follows promising reductions in a number of crime types during the first six weeks of this financial year compared to the same period last year:
- Neighbourhood crime down by 15.3 per cent
- Knife crime down by 18.1 per cent
- Residential burglary down by 17.7 per cent
- Theft from the person down by 15.6 per cent
- Personal robbery down by 12.8 per cent
- Shoplifting – solved 163 per cent more cases this year
Examples of the types of arrests made and successful operations include:
- A man has been charged with 113 shoplifting and burglary offences after targeting two supermarkets in Waltham Forest on multiple occasions between January and July 2025. The 33-year-old allegedly stole more than £13,000 worth of goods from Sainsbury’s Low Hall and committed 40 further offences at Morrisons on Salisbury Road. He’ll appear in court in November.
- A prolific shoplifter who targeted the same Co-op in Notting Hill on 15 occasions has been jailed for six months. Steven Barrs, (29.03.81), of the Peabody Estate in Hammersmith and Fulham, stole items worth £624 from the store in St Ann’s Road between March and May 2025. He was sentenced in June 2025.
- Officers on Sur-Ron bikes on patrol in the West End were alerted to a phone theft on Friday, 1 August. They detained a man on Tottenham Court Road. The 18-year-old was arrested and remains on bail while further enquiries are carried out. We have increased targeted patrols in hotspot areas to identify and deter perpetrators. We’re also using new tactics, such as investing in Sur-Ron e-bikes, to help us catch more offenders.
- Officers arrested three men within minutes of a burglary at a phone shop in the West End on Thursday, 27 July. The men reportedly entered the O2 store on Tottenham Court Road wearing balaclavas and were reported to have stolen around 100 iPhones and a number of Apple Watches with an estimated value of £100,000. Read more here.
Paul Gerrard, Director of Campaigns, Public Affairs and Policy, at the Co-op said:
“Co-op has been a relentless campaigner to tackle retail crime and our partnerships with police forces across the UK are central to how we protect our colleagues, the shops they run and the communities they serve.
“We currently have 20 police partnerships nationwide, which continues to drive an increase in the number of offenders tackled, more sentences handed down and more rehabilitation orders than ever before. This illustrates how when retailers and police commit to working together and share intelligence, the prolific and persistent offenders who are behind the vast majority of retail crime can be tackled – and that’s good for shops but, importantly, also for the communities that rely on them.”
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Notes to editors
Body-worn video and CCTV from the case studies above are available to download here: https://mps.box.com/s/xhzwruph5wxg8se145nc5fu4w98jwru3.
The Metropolitan Police is prioritising resources and putting more officers on the beat in the busiest parts of London to focus on core policing priorities, protect the public, and tackle areas with high crime. Despite the Met getting smaller, it is applying more resources and smarter tactics to tackle the biggest priorities.
Up to 80 more officers will join the dedicated West End team to bear down on crimes which Londoners care about the most – including anti-social behaviour, violence against women and girls, shoplifting and phone robbery – as part of the Met’s focus on neighbourhood policing.
Six town centre teams will also be expanded or newly created with 90 additional officers in areas with the highest volumes of thefts and robberies covering Brixton, Kingston, Ealing, Finsbury Park, Southwark, and Spitalfields. Read more here.
The 20 Safer Summer Streets hotspots
Barking Town Centre
Brixton Town Centre
Camden
Catford – Lewisham High Street
Croydon Town Centre
Ealing Town Centre
Elephant and Castle
Finsbury Park
Woolwich Town Centre
Ilford Town Centre
Kingston Town Centre
Romford Town Centre
Seven Sisters
Shepherd’s Bush Green
Shoreditch Town Centre
Silver Street
Stratford
Walthamstow
West End
Whitechapel