Category: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

Five men have been convicted of the murder of a man who they followed across London with the intention of robbing him.

Met detectives worked tirelessly to examine hundreds of hours of CCTV which allowed them to trace the defendants as they pursued 27-year Antonis Antoniadis in a taxi from a nightclub to southeast London, where they robbed him and stabbed him to death.

Detective Chief Inspector Kate Blackburn, Specialist Crime South, said: “Antonis had been visiting from Greece with friends. Very tragically he never made it home to his family. This was a particularly challenging and complex case given the lack of CCTV at the scene and the movement of the vehicle, which had been driven by the defendants continuously throughout the night of 6 July and into the following afternoon.

“I would like to thank in particular Antonis’ friends, who had witnessed his brutal murder and returned to the UK to give their evidence. I would also like to thank the witnesses’ who came forward and helped us to understand what had happened to Antonis. I am pleased our concerted efforts to find those responsible has enabled us to achieve justice for Antonis’ loved ones, family, and friends.”

In the early hours of Sunday, 7 July 2024 Antonis had gone with friends to a club near Oxford Circus. They left the venue at around 08.15hrs and caught a taxi back to Florence Terrace, New Cross, where they were staying with a friend.

Unbeknownst to them, they were being followed by the defendants who had spent several hours in the vicinity of the central London nightclub in a stolen car. They then pursued Antonis and his group for eight miles and more than thirty minutes back to New Cross.

As Antonis and his friends were attempting to get into their address, Sofian Alliche, Shian Johnson, Joshua McCorquodale, and Alfie Hipple exited the vehicle. Amin Alliche who was 17 years old at the time remained in the driver’s seat of the vehicle. The group of four, wearing balaclavas and armed with large knives, grabbed Antonis’ bag before stabbing him in the chest and right thigh. The latter wound severed his femoral artery, causing significant blood loss. Antonis initially survived the attack and fought in hospital for two weeks before very sadly dying on Sunday, 21 July 2024.

After the attack, the defendants returned to their car with Antonis’ mobile phone. Amin Alliche then drove them all back across the Thames to the Northwest London area, where they sold the device. After they returned to their “home turf” in Camden, they hid the stolen vehicle under a car cover, which they had also stolen.

While there was no CCTV of the attack, officers went to painstaking lengths to trace the movements of the defendants in the lead up to the murder. They examined hundreds of hours of footage, not only monitoring the significant period of time they spent hanging around outside the nightclub, but also their journey from central London to New Cross, as well as their movements afterwards. Officers also recovered the car, which ultimately proved the defendants were responsible for killing Antonis.

During the course of the investigation several addresses linked to the defendants were searched. A number of weapons were seized Including one zombie knife, five machetes, two swords, two lock knives and seven other knives.

Amin Alliche,18 (28.06.2007) Sofian Alliche, 20 (20.02.05), both of Bury Place WC1, Shian Johnson, 26 (14.07.99), of Argyle Walk WC1, Joshua McCorquodale, 20 (03.08.04), of Upper Park Road NW3, and Alfie Hipple, 18 (25.02.07), of Kentish Town Road NW5 were all found guilty of murder and conspiracy to commit robbery following an eight-week trial at the Old Bailey.

All are due to be sentenced at the same court on Friday, 3 October.

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

UPDATE: On Friday, 1 August at the Old Bailey, Rumarni Tuitt was jailed for 18 years for attempted murder and one year for possession of a bladed article, to run concurrently. He must serve 12 years before being considered for release on licence.

The press release below was issued following a trial that ended in May with Tuitt being found guilty of the above offences:

A teenager who carried out at a zombie knife attack during Notting Hill Carnival has been found guilty of attempted murder.

Rumarni Tuitt, 19 (01.12.05) of Sutherland Road, Walthamstow was charged on 29 August 2024 with attempted murder and possession of a bladed article.

He stood trial at the Old Bailey and was convicted on Thursday, 8 May.

The court heard that shortly before 20:00hrs on the Monday evening of Carnival – 26 August 2024 – Tuitt was in Canal Way, off Ladbroke Grove.

Officers who were on duty as part of the policing operation recounted how they saw him appear agitated as he argued verbally with someone in a crowd, before taking a huge knife from his waistband and thrusting it into a group in front of him.

A 19-year-old man who was in the crowd was stabbed no fewer than five times causing multiple serious injuries including some to his abdomen that required life saving surgery. He and Tuitt did not know each other and a motive for the attack has never been established.

Officers intervened immediately, arresting Tuitt at the scene and providing vital medical treatment to his victim until paramedics could reach them.

The knife used, which was at least 10 inches in length, was recovered from the scene.

Acting Detective Inspector Sophie McLoughlin, who led the investigation, said: “This was a savage and senseless attack. The victim was very lucky to survive his injuries.

“Hundreds of thousands of people, including the victim in this case, go to Carnival to have a good time and enjoy the music and entertainment. Those who would choose to turn up armed with a 10 inch zombie knife clearly have no such intentions.

“It is thanks to the vigilance of officers on duty that day and the hard work of my team in the months since that we were able to build the case that saw Tuitt convicted at court.

“It is also thanks to officers’ immediate medical intervention at the scene, as well as the specialist further care by paramedics, that we’re talking about a conviction for attempted murder and not worse.

“I hope the victim can now move forward and begin to put this experience behind him.”

Tuitt was remanded in custody and will be sentenced at the same court on Friday, 1 August.

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

An innovative scheme for south London teenagers has taken place as part of the Met’s summer diversionary work.

A cohort of 60 young people, all aged around 17 from south London, were offered 11 days of placements across a wide range of Met units, lectures from top professionals in the criminal justice field, and will now get follow up one-on-one mentoring.

The programme co-run between Elevated Minds and the Met Police specifically aims to open two-way dialogue between the officers and young people – aiming to rebuild trust between black communities and police.

Shkye, aged 17, who took part in the programme said: “Before this, you wouldn’t even catch me in a room with police officers, let alone having a conversation with them. I just want to say thank you to Doreen (CEO of Elevated Minds) for giving me this opportunity.

“For now, I’m the first person in my family to go in a police station not because I’ve committed a crime.”

Police Sergeant Mensah Elliott, who has been in the Met for 21 years and helped with the planning of the programme, said: “This was my first year being involved in this work and I am grateful that I was invited to be a part of it. My personal goal for the two weeks was to demystify the mystery behind the badge and humanise the uniform and I truly believed that this was achieved. Building trust and confidence and bridging the gap between young people and policing is absolutely essential and the Met must make this a priority.

“This programme offers something very special to young people, especially those from underrepresented groups. I witnessed, first-hand, how the mindsets of the 60 young people that took part in the programme evolved and their confidence grow.

“They were able to see and appreciate that being part of the Met family involves a lot more than just a uniformed officer patrolling the streets or driving around London at high speeds.”

Elevated Minds work with young people in schools and communities across London, particularly in Southwark. Typically, the young people are very intelligent and gifted but may lack access to resources, which leaves them at risk of being groomed by county lines gangs. 

The key aims are to divert young people from serious violence, rebuild trust in police, and introduce them to highlight to them parts of organisation they may not have seen before.  

Some of the young people on this year’s programme have worked closely with the Met for over a year on projects including the Stop and Search Charter, the Police Race Action Plan, as well as delivering Cultural Awareness Training to New Met Recruits.

The young people were taken on a whistle-stop tour of the organisation which included visits to the forensics team, the marine unit, mounted branch, the Territorial Support Group, and the 999 call control centre in Lambeth, where high-profile major events are managed.

They got the chance to handle specialist equipment, try on kit, take part in role-plays at Hendon Police School, and visit the Inner London Crown Court. The young people were also offered a close up look at how officers deal with protestors while seeing training at Gravesend.

The group also got the opportunity to quiz Commander Charmain Brenyah, Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove, and Chief Superintendent Dan Ivey face to face at a special roundtable and Q&A. They were able to discuss issues that mattered to them such as the use of drones, stop and search, gang violence, and county lines.

After gaining first-hand knowledge of the realities of policing, the close of the two weeks was marked with a special celebration ceremony for parents and supporters on Friday, 25 July.

Doreen Sinclair-McCollin, director of Elevated Minds, said: “At its heart, Elevated Aspirations is about amplifying voices that have too often gone unheard, restoring trust where it’s been lost, and reimagining futures full of purpose, pride and possibility.”

PC Nsikan Etuk, who has been in the Met for more than 20 years and is part of the community engagement team for Southwark and Lambeth boroughs, explained: “Five years ago, I sort to enhance the relationship between youth and the Metropolitan Police Service. I created the Elevated Aspirations programme alongside Doreen Sinclair-McCollin the CEO of Elevated Minds.

“The programme has brought the police and the community together in ways I could only have dreamed of, and its effects will remain in the lives of the young people involved for years to come.”

The young people were asked to complete pre- and post- programme questionnaires, and their answers were used to measure the impact of the Elevated Aspirations programme, especially in terms of trust and confidence.

By the end of the programme:

• An overall level of trust in the police had increased by 23% (6.5/10 to 8/10)
• 85% of the young people believe that police have the knowledge and skills to serve their community (vs. 35% prior)
• 90% would call the police if they could prevent a serious crime from happening, whether they knew the victim or not (vs. 50% previously)
• 30% of participants are likely to pursue a career in policing (vs. 5% prior)

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

There will be an increased police presence in the Clerkenwell area of Islington on Saturday where a protest against the use of a hotel to accommodate asylum seekers and a related counter protest are due to take place.

The protest against the use of the hotel was organised by local residents under the banner ‘Thistle Barbican needs to go – locals say no’. It has since been endorsed by groups from outside the local community which is likely to increase the number of people attending.

A counter protest, organised by Stand Up To Racism and supported by other groups, has been announced and widely publicised.

Chief Superintendent Clair Haynes, who is in charge of the policing operation, said: “We have been in discussions with the organisers of both protests in recent days, building on the ongoing engagement between local officers, community groups and partners. We understand that there are strongly held views on all sides.

“Our officers will police without fear or favour, ensuring those exercising their right to protest can do so safely but intervening at the first sign of actions that cross the line into criminality.

“We have used our powers under the Public Order Act to put conditions in place to prevent serious disorder and to minimise serious disruption to the lives of people and businesses in the local community. Those conditions identify two distinct protest areas where the protests must take place meaning the groups will be separated but still within sight and sound of each other. The conditions also set specific start and finish times for the protests.”

In addition to the policing operation in Islington, plans are in place to respond to any protest activity in the vicinity of other hotels in London being used to accommodate asylum seekers. Our approach there will be the same as that being taken in Islington, to protect the right to peaceful protest but to intervene decisively where offences take place.

Details of the conditions in place in Islington are below.

‘Thistle Barbican needs to go – locals say no’ protest:

Any person participating in the assembly on Saturday 2 August must remain within the shaded area on the map below which is King Charles Square.

The assembly must not begin before 1300hrs and must conclude by 1600hrs.

Protest organised by Stand up to Racism and other counter protest groups:

Any person participating in the assembly on Saturday 2 August 2025 must remain within the shaded area on the map below which is in Lever Street, near the junction with Central Street.

The assembly must not begin before 1200hrs and must conclude by 1600hrs.

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

A man has been charged with over 40 offences as part of an ongoing investigation into reports of shoplifting in Waltham Forest.

Mark Stavrou, 32 (15.10.1992) of Sherwood Close, Walthamstow has been charged with 41 counts of theft, two counts of burglary and one count of criminal damage.

The charges follow his arrest on Thursday, 21 July, in connection with multiple shoplifting offences at supermarkets and petrol stations across Chingford. The offences date between Saturday, 10 May, and Thursday, 31 July.

He will appear at Thames Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 1 August.

Stavrou has previously been charged with 67 burglary offences. He will enter a plea for these on Thursday, 7 August, at the same court.

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

Police are appealing for information after a woman is reported to have given birth to a baby before going missing.

Shortly before 16:45hrs on Wednesday, 30 July a report was made to the police that a woman had given birth that same day at about 08:00hrs at the Billet Road underpass, Walthamstow.

A witnesses was alerted when she heard sounds of distress in the underpass. She aided with the birth and stayed with the woman until about 16:00hrs when the mother and the newborn were picked-up by two people in a blue transit van.

The woman is believed to be rough sleeping, white, in her mid-30s, with long blonde hair. She was wearing a black dress and heavy jumper and is believed to go by the name Anne Marie.

Officers are extremely concerned for the welfare of her and her baby.

PC Dan Cooper, from the North East area’s Local Missing Hub, said: “Our top priority is to establish that the woman and her baby are safe and well and have access to any medical treatment they may need. I would like to stress that the woman is not in any trouble, our only concern is the wellbeing of her and her newborn child.

“We are carrying out fast-paced enquiries, including trawling CCTV, speaking to people in the area and visiting nearby hospitals.

“I’d also like to appeal to anyone who was in the area at the time and may have seen or heard something to come forward. Were you walking or cycling through the underpass or at the nearby Kwik Fit garage? If so, please get in touch with us.

“If the woman does not feel comfortable speaking to us, she can go directly to a medical centre or a charity.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the North East area’s Local Missing Hub on 07881 330 956 or 101 quoting CAD 5617/30JUL.

Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

The family of a man who was fatally stabbed in Ilford, have paid tribute to their son describing him as having a “remarkable ability to connect with everyone he met.”

Gurjeet Singh, 30 known as Gary, died on Wednesday, 23 July at an address in Felbrigge Road, Ilford.

In a statement, Gary’s family said:

“Gary was a well-loved man who had a remarkable ability to connect with everyone he met. A true social butterfly, nothing brought him more joy than being surrounded by his family. Gary will be deeply missed, but his memory will live on in our hearts forever.”

Police were called by the London Ambulance Service to reports of an altercation at a residential address. Officers attended as Gary was treated for stab wounds. Despite the best efforts of the paramedics, he sadly died at the scene.

On Wednesday, 23 July, officers arrested Amardeep Singh, 27 (03.02.1998) of Redbridge, IG3 on suspicion of murder. He remains in custody and is due to appear at the Old Bailey for trial on Monday, 5 January 2026

Detectives also arrested a 29-year-old man and three women aged 29, 30 and 54. They have all since been bailed until October 2025 while enquiries continue.

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

A man has been sentenced to jail for murdering a father in front of his young child in a barbershop in Leyton.

Josh McKay, 33, was stabbed in the neck by Renai Belle in a targeted attack and died from his injuries at the scene. During the Metropolitan Police investigation, officers discovered a rap video showing Belle threaten Josh before the attack.

Belle, 30 (20.02.95), of Swaythling Close, Edmonton was sentenced to 28 years in prison on Wednesday, 30 July at the Old Bailey. He was previously convicted for Josh’s murder and possession of a knife on Wednesday, 4 June.

A man and woman were also convicted and sentenced for separate offences.

Josh’s mother, Bash Kehinde said: “Today’s sentencing changes nothing for me and my family. I will never see my beautiful son. And his two children will now face life without their hero.

“To all of the mothers of murdered children, I understand your pain, the sadness and sense of loss that is unbearable. It is made worse because it was all so senseless.

“Josh was a beautiful happy kind man and an active and loving father. The world is less kind, less bright and less funny without him here.”

Detective Inspector Chris Griffith, from Specialist Crime North, who led the investigation, said: “This was a savage and pre-planned attack, committed in broad daylight and with scant regard for passers-by. What took place left the local community reeling, and two young children without their father.

“My heart goes out to Josh’s family and friends. He was a loving parent, whose life was ended in the most horrendous way.

“I hope that today’s result provides Josh’s family with some closure, and allows the community to feel safer knowing that Belle is no longer free to commit such heinous crimes.”

The court heard that Josh was at a barbershop on Lea Bridge Road with his son on Saturday, 6 July. Around 15:00hrs, as shown on CCTV seized by the investigation team, Belle entered the shop wearing a balaclava where he stabbed Josh in the neck in a pre-meditated attack following a long-standing dispute. Belle was then chased away by Josh.

Members of the public rushed to Josh’s aid and attempted to provide medical treatment until the arrival of officers and paramedics. Despite their best efforts, Josh died from his injuries.

A determined investigation began immediately in which officers painstakingly combed through more than 100 hours of CCTV footage to track Belle’s movements and understand what took place.

Officers discovered that Belle was the passenger in a car being driven by his partner, Tenika Parker. Having seen Josh enter the barbershop, the pair drove to the address of man called Daniel Cooper. In doorbell footage later seized, Cooper was seen providing Belle with the balaclava and knife that would be used minutes later to murder Josh. Belle was then driven back to the barbers nearby before stabbing Josh. He was helped to escape by Parker in the waiting car.

A manhunt led to the arrest of Belle at an address in Pincott Road, SW19 on Monday 8 July, 2024.

As part of officers’ determination to further establish a watertight case against Belle, further enquiries led them to discover a rap video on YouTube showing Belle threaten Josh in advance of the attack, more proof that it was pre-planned.

Parker was initially arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender on Sunday, 7 July in India Dock Road, Poplar. She was stopped by police while driving the car that had been identified as involved in the murder. During a search of Parker’s vehicle, officers found distinct black sliders Belle was seen wearing in CCTV footage, as well as traces of blood that officers sent for forensic testing. This provided a DNA match to Josh. Parker was rearrested on Wednesday, 2 October, and charged with perverting the course of justice after CCTV footage showed her attempting to clean her car after the attack to remove any evidence.

Cooper was arrested after handing himself in to police on Thursday, 11 July. During a search at Cooper’s property, officers discovered two knives matching the branding of the weapon that was left at the scene of Josh’s murder. Forensic testing on the balaclava and knife discarded by Belle at the scene of Josh’s murder found DNA that matched with Cooper.

On Wednesday, 4 June, Tenika Parker, 39 (21.02.86), of Canterbury Road, Leytonstone and Daniel Cooper, 22 (20.02.03) of Gosport Road, Leytonstone stood trial alongside Belle.

Parker was convicted of possession of a knife and perverting the course of justice. On Wednesday, 30 July, she was sentenced at the Old Bailey to 2 years and 3 months years in prison.

Cooper had previously pleaded guilty to possession of a knife but was acquitted of other offences. He was sentenced on Friday, 6 June for 7.5 months.

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

The Metropolitan Police is ruthlessly prioritising resources and putting more officers on the beat in the busiest parts of London – including the West End – 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 antisocial behaviour, violence against women and girls, shoplifting and phone robbery – as part of the Met’s focus on neighbourhood policing.

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.

The West End will see its policing team grow by over 50 per cent so they can relentlessly target prolific offenders as well as being visible and approachable to protect the public and deter criminals.

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.

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said:

“The Met is getting smaller but more capable. We have a laser-like focus on ensuring our officers and staff are in roles where they can drive down crime on issues that matter the most to Londoners.

“This is what the public expects of the police, which is why we are putting neighbourhood policing first, tackling the crimes that we know are impacting the public in the busiest areas, and making the capital’s streets safer.

“We’re adding up to 170 additional officers, split between the West End and town centres across London. Thanks to the hard work of our local teams, neighbourhood crime has already fallen by almost a fifth over the last year and moving these officers to the frontline will make sure we are a more visible presence in London.

“While our budget has decreased in real terms, we are using this additional funding from City Hall and Home Office productively to support our mission to take a targeted approach to tackling volume crime and bolster our specialist tactics to disrupt the criminal gangs who fuel anti-social behaviour, robbery and theft.”

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:

“Nothing is more important to me than keeping Londoners safe. Thanks to record funding from City Hall, the West End will see a 50 per cent increase in the number of police officers on the beat and an additional 90 police officers working in new or enhanced town centre teams in hotspot areas.

“Despite years of austerity by the previous government, this is the latest example of the Met Police and I prioritising what Londoners want and delivering on our pledge to put high visibility policing at the heart of fighting crime and rebuilding community confidence and trust.

“These new and boosted Safer Neighbourhood Teams will focus on tackling antisocial behaviour, phone robbery and shoplifting in key areas. This fresh targeted action is happening in tandem with enhanced police and partnership work already underway in our high streets and town centres this summer. We will continue to build on the crime reductions already achieved in the capital – with robbery, theft and knife crime down since the start of the financial year – to build a safer London for all.”

Already, the Met has recruited over 300 additional PCSOs for neighbourhood policing teams towards a target of 500, as well as adding over 300 officers from Superintendents to Constables.

This work to focus resource in the right places, builds on enhanced partnership action with local authorities, businesses and communities to tackle crime in London’s busy town centres and high streets, announced earlier this month.

The Met is arresting 1000 more criminals each month and thanks to the hard work of its officers, London’s Violence Reduction Unit, Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), local authorities and partners, the first six weeks of this financial year have seen promising reductions in a number of crime types 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

• In the West End specifically the Met has reduced:

• Personal robbery by 20%

• Violence with injury by 25%

• Violence against a person by 8%

Ros Morgan, Chief Executive, Heart of London Business Alliance:

“A safer West End is essential to its success. We welcome the Mayor and Met Commissioner’s response to our calls for more policing. With over 200 million visitors a year and a £50 billion contribution to the UK economy, keeping this district secure isn’t optional — it’s vital. We’ll continue working with the Met to protect the West End’s reputation as a world-class destination.”

Dee Corsi, Chief Executive, New West End Company, said:

“We know, first-hand, the incredible work that the Metropolitan Police Service undertakes every day here in the West End to tackle anti-social behaviour, shoplifting, phone robbery and violence against women and girls. But we also know that tackling complex crime challenges is more difficult when resources are squeezed. That’s why today’s announcement, and renewed commitment to the West End, is a critical step forward. We will continue to work in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Service, the Mayor of London and other local stakeholders to ensure the West End remains safe and welcoming for all.”

Anthony Hemmerdinger, Managing Director, Boots said:

“Retail theft alongside intimidation and abuse of our team members is unacceptable, so we welcome this additional support from the Mayor and Metropolitan Police to increase resources in some of our busiest central London store locations.

“While we continue to invest significantly in schemes to deter and disrupt crime, including our state-of-the-art CCTV monitoring centre and bodycams for our team members in stores, it is only through close partnership working with Government, Police, and local communities, that we can ensure high streets feel like welcoming and safe spaces for people to work, shop and visit, all the time.”

Against the backdrop of these improvements and increased demand for policing in London, tough choices are still being made across the organisation.

The Met is shrinking overall by 1,700 officers and staff – they have started by moving officers from the dedicated Royal Parks policing team and schools officers into local policing teams. This will ensure officers are part of larger neighbourhood policing teams, policing parks as part of larger teams and ensuring children are safe on their school commute where they are most at risk.

The Met are going further to place officers on the beat, ensuring London is a safer place to live, work and visit. A more visible presence will increase reassurance for the public and create a hostile environment for criminals who will be arrested in greater numbers.

The Met secured additional funding after submitting their draft budget which laid out how they would spend their money in 2025/26. As a result, they are using £32 million of additional funding from City Hall and the Home Office to reduce the total officer and staff reductions in priority areas.

The efficiency savings are due to real-term reductions in public spending on policing and every decision the Met makes is to ensure resources are focussed in the most vital areas and on core-policing priorities.

The funding will also allow specialist police capabilities to be expanded to support neighbourhood policing priorities and improve out outcomes in tackling high-harm offenders and violence against women and girls. This will include:

• Bolstering Flying Squad with over 50 additional officers to support neighbourhood policing as they tackle the organised crime gangs that fuel phone robbery and shoplifting.

• Scaling up our use of Live Facial Recognition (LFR) more widely supported by additional officers and staff. Currently LFR is used four times a week across two days, but this will increase up to five days a week, delivering up to 10 deployments a week across London to drive up arrests of wanted offenders.

• The Public Order Crime Team will expand to accommodate the rise in protest-related criminal investigations to ensure frontline officers are freed up to focus on local issues. Demand in this area increased in the last two years.

• Additional resource will be funded to support local policing teams to coordinate work to hunt down dangerous and predatory offenders identified in our V100 and Violence Harm Assessment work.

As well as targeting resource in specific priority areas, the funding has allowed the Met to reduce some of the previously outlined cuts – including providing 17 officers to join neighbourhood policing teams to support the continued policing of Royal Parks as part of our business as usually work and stopping previously proposed reductions to Flying Squad.

The Met is also publishing A New Met for London: Phase 2 – a plan for the next three years, following the success of the first plan to deliver more trust, less crime and high standards.

The new plan focusses on shedding distractions and bureaucracy that divert police away from crime-fighting, allowing our officers and staff to focus on what matters most to the public we serve, making greater use of technologies such as live facial recognition and automation, and providing officers and staff with the tools and equipment they need, to be more effective and more productive.

The Met is asking the public for their views. To share your views complete this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6NCR3LH

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

Two teenagers have been convicted of murder and manslaughter in relation to the death of a 15-year-old boy in Woolwich, in an unprovoked attack – the exact motive for the attack remains unclear. A third teenager was acquitted of murder.

Two appeared at the Old Bailey today and the jury returned their verdicts after a six week trial.

Marko Balaz, 19 (20.12.2005) of Sewell Road, SE2, was convicted of manslaughter and a 17-year-old boy was convicted of murder.

Jacob Losiewicz, 18 (22.07.2006) of Church Manorway, SE2, was acquitted of murder on Tuesday, 30 July.

The victim, 15-year-old Daejaun Campbell, was fatally stabbed following a disturbance on Eglington Road, SE18.

Detective Chief Inspector Kate Blackburn said: “Daejaun’s murder shocked the local community and will forever impact his grieving family and those who loved him.

“I commend the strength of Daejaun’s family, in particular his mother, throughout this awful ordeal. She has demonstrated exceptional courage and composure throughout this trial and has become an advocate to raise awareness of the dangers of young people carrying knives and the devastation that knife violence causes.”

A murder investigation was launched on Sunday, 22 September 2024 after police were called to reports of the stabbing of a boy on Eglington Road, SE18.

Witnesses called the police at around 18:30hrs to reports of a boy screaming for help and being chased down the street before being attacked with what looked like a machete. Brave members of the public ran to help Daejaun, who was lying on the floor after sustaining multiple stab wounds.

London Ambulance Service and HEMS attended the scene but sadly Daejaun died a short time later in the road where he had been stabbed.

A murder investigation commenced, quickly identifying a car which had been used to bring the defendants to the scene. CCTV footage including doorbell camera footage was identified which showed the teenagers leaving a property to attack Daejaun. The identities of the group were soon established.

Losiewicz was arrested the following day with the distinctive top he was wearing during the murder being recovered on his bedroom floor, but his tracksuit bottoms and sliders were missing. During his interview, Losiewicz denied being involved in Daejaun’s murder and claimed to be a witness who ran from the scene after being scared. He claimed to have been unable to stop the attack.

Balaz was arrested at his home address on 25 September where he denied any involvement, claimed to have been at home during the offence and denied any prior knowledge of Daejaun or his murder. Balaz was, however on an electronically monitored tag which demonstrated he was lying and had travelled to Eglinton Road at the time of the murder. Officers were to later find multiple internet searches on Balaz’s phone around relating to Daejaun’s murder.

The 17-year-old boy was arrested on 27 September. His phone was analysed and messages were found which showed he was worried about spending 20 years in prison after killing someone and joking with friends that his life was “about to take a massive turn”. Losiewicz sliders were found in the 17 year old’s house and Daejaun’s blood was found on them. At trial he admitted to stabbing Daejaun but claimed he did so in self defence, as Daejaun also had a knife.

All three were charged with murder and remanded into custody.

DCI Kate Blackburn added: “We have never fully established why Daejaun was murdered in such a brutal way. I believe it is likely because he did not live in the area and had been exploited into dealing drugs there. It is possible that the defendant’s were linked to an opposing drugs line.

“This group were willing to bring a machete out in broad daylight and use it to kill a 15-year-old boy who, when challenged, threw his knife away and ran in the opposite direction.

“Today’s convictions conclude a lengthy and emotional investigation, and we can expect the two convicted teenagers to spend a considerable time in prison. However, they will still be able to have lives after their incarceration, Daejaun was not given that opportunity.

“I hope that the conviction today provides some sense of justice to Deajuan’s family.”

The pair will be sentenced at the same court on Monday, 6 October.