Category: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

Headline: Two murder investigations launched in Camden

Murder investigations have been launched after two young men were fatally stabbed in Camden.

Officers were called by the London Ambulance Service at approximately 20:30hrs on Tuesday, 20 February, to reports of a teenager suffering stab injuries in Bartholomew Road, NW5.

Officers attended and immediately provided first aid prior to the arrival of London Ambulance Service. The victim, believed to be aged in his late teens, was pronounced dead at the scene at 21:08hrs.

Officers believe they know the identity of the deceased. We await formal identification and confirmation that next of kin have been informed.

At 22:13hrs that night, police were called to reports of a disturbance in Malden Road near the junction with Marsden Street, NW5.

Officers attended the location and found a man suffering serious stab injuries. They administered first aid prior to the arrival of London Ambulance Service.

The man, believed to be aged around 20 years, was pronounced dead at the scene. Enquiries are underway to confirm his identity and inform next of kin.

Post-mortem examinations will be arranged in due course.

Detectives from the Homicide and Major Crime Command have launched separate investigations.

At this early stage, there have been no arrests. Urgent enquiries are underway to establish the full circumstances and identify if there are any links between the two incidents.

Any witnesses, or anyone with information that may assist police, is urged to call officers via 101. To remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit the crimestoppers-uk.org website.

There are additional police patrols across Camden, with borough officers who were due to complete their shifts on Tuesday continuing to work into Wednesday morning alongside the borough’s rostered night shift.

These Camden officers are being supported by colleagues from the Territorial Support Group and dedicated officers from Operation Sceptre.

A Section 60 (Criminal Justice and Public Order Act) order was authorised for the borough of Camden at 22:20hrs on Tuesday, 20 February. This will remain in place until 07:00hrs on Wednesday, 21 February, to assist officers in preventing further violence.

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

Headline: Five charged in relation to sale of counterfeit and unlicensed medicine

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

Headline: Third arrest in Canning Town murder

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

Headline: Arrest made in Barnet murder

Detectives investigating a murder in Enfield have arrested a man and released an image of a van they believe was used by the suspects.

In the early hours of Tuesday, 20 February, a 46-year-old man was arrested in Wood Green on suspicion of murder and is now in custody at a London police station.

Police were called at 23.44hrs on Monday, 12 February, to Mount Pleasant, at the junction with Edgeworth Road, Barnet EN4 to reports of shots fired.

Officers attended and found 41-year-old Bulent Kabala of Enfield suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 00.15hrs.

A post-mortem examination held on 15 February at Northwick Park Hospital, gave cause of death as gunshot wounds to the head and chest.

An abandoned blue Ford Transit van, believed to be used in the murder, was found by officers in Pilgrims Close, N13 on Wednesday, 14 February.

The van, which was stolen in early January, had been fitted with stolen Polish number plates and left parked at Beaufoy Road, N17. The van was at the murder scene and subsequently found at Pilgrims Close after the murder.

Detective Chief Inspector Noel McHugh of the Met’s Homicide and Major Crime Command, who is leading the investigation, said:

“Enquiries so far indicated that this murder was a targeted hit.

“We know that Bulent got out of his silver Mercedes car just as he had just entered a roundabout, when three or four suspects got out of the Transit van and shot him. They then got back into the van and drove off in the direction of Edgeworth Road.

“The van was stolen on 6 January and we are certain that it was in Beaufoy Road on 16, 18 and 20 January. It was discovered after the murder in Pilgrims Close.

“The van is really distinctive, due to its height and the fact it was a right-hand drive, UK vehicle but was on Polish registration plates.

“I want to know where the van has been, and who has been using it.

“It is vital that we hear from anyone who witnessed this incident, and from anyone who can help us understand more about Bulent’s life and the people he associated with. Any fragment of information could assist the investigation. Please do not assume that we already have your information.”

Mr Kabala’s widow, said: “I’ve lost my childhood sweetheart, my best friend, my husband. My children have lost their dad. Nothing in the world I can say will bring him back, but I pray someone, anyone, with information comes forward. My family and I need closure. We will not be able to rest until we know justice has been served, so please if you know anything, come forward.”

Anyone with information can contact the incident room on 020 8785 8099 or tweet @MetCC. Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

Headline: A man has been found guilty of preparing for acts of terrorism

A man has been found guilty of preparing for acts of terrorism after he was stopped and arrested by Counter Terrorism officers as he prepared to board a flight to Turkey, intending to then travel on to Syria where he wanted to fight for Daesh.

Aweys Shikhey, 38 (1.10.79) of north London was found guilty on Tuesday, 20 February at the Old Bailey of preparing for acts of terrorism, contrary to section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006. He was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced on Thursday, 15 March.

Commander Dean Haydon, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “To his friends and colleagues Shikhey was, on the face of it, leading a normal life here in London. But unbeknown to them and to his wife and family in Holland, he was a supporter of Daesh and had for about a year been planning how he could leave the UK and travel out to join Daesh.

“Thanks to the information we received from the Kenyan authorities and the good work here by my detectives thereafter, we have been able to thwart his attempts and stop him from joining Daesh and committing terrorist acts over there.”

Officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command launched an investigation in February 2017, after they received information from Kenyan authorities that a man in London was in contact with another man in Kenya discussing terrorist activity.

From a laptop seized during the separate investigation in Kenya, it showed conversations via encrypted messaging apps between the two men dating from May 2016 to September 2016, with both indicating their support for Daesh in the conversations. There were also references made by the UK-based man of wanting to travel to Syria and making plans to join Daesh, as well as talk between the pair about carrying out a firearms attack in the UK and targeting the Jewish community in and around the Stamford Hill area.

As a result of this information, detectives made further enquiries and established that Shikhey was the person in the UK. Whilst no further evidence was found to show that Shikhey was actually planning an attack in the UK, officers did find further evidence that he was planning to travel to Syria in order to join Daesh.

In May 2017, officers became aware that Shikhey booked a flight from Stansted to Sarajevo, via Istanbul. After checking-in at Stansted for the first leg of the flight to Turkey, officers arrested Shikhey before he could board the plane.

On his arrest, Shikhey had in his possession a number of mobile phones, as well $700 and €400 in cash. He’d also taken a ‘selfie’ at the airport on his phone – something that he had previously been told to do in one of the conversations found on the laptop in Kenya, seemingly as an effort to make himself look like a tourist.

Officers seized various electronic and mobile devices from Shikhey, both in his possession at the airport and also from his home address. On these, they found further evidence of his support for Daesh with various files and videos on the devices. Officers also found that he had been in touch with a woman in Norway. Through chat and audio files on his devices, it showed the pair had discussed their support and desire to join and support Daesh over several months, starting in December 2016.

Detectives also found that in the weeks just before his planned flight, Shikhey applied for a number of loans – again an earlier conversation found on the laptop in Kenya showed Shikhey had been advised that he would need ‘more money’ to realise his ambition of joining Daesh.

Most of his loan applications were unsuccessful, but he was able to secure a loan for £10,000, claiming it was to pay for a wedding. But in reality, he was gathering as much money as possible to fund his travel and terrorist activity once he reached Syria.

Shikhey was charged on 30 May 2017 and following a seven day trial at the Old Bailey was found guilty as above and will be sentenced on 15 March.

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

Headline: Apology to Hampshire Constabulary re actions of undercover unit

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has formally apologised to Hampshire Constabulary for an incident regarding the actions of the former undercover unit – the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS).

During the investigation into the SDS carried out by Operation Herne the MPS found information about the deployment of an undercover officer known as ‘Christine Green’. Christine Green infiltrated the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and London Animal Action between 1994 and 1999.

It appears from the available evidence that Christine Green was authorised by her then line management, potentially up to the rank of Detective Chief Superintendent, to participate in a criminal act that took place on the night of 8 August 1998. This was when ALF activists released a large number of mink from a fur farm – Crow Hill Farm – in Ringwood, Hampshire.

A decision was made by the SDS not to share Christine Green’s involvement or the knowledge the MPS had about the role of the ALF with Hampshire Constabulary, who carried out a criminal investigation at the time. In 2014, the MPS disclosed the former officer’s role to Hampshire Constabulary. Neither the MPS nor Hampshire Constabulary could share this more widely at that time in view of the risk of identification of the former officer.

At this stage there is no evidence that the officer was involved in the second release of mink two weeks later. She resigned from the MPS in August 2000.

The MPS has informed the Public Inquiry into Undercover Policing of this matter. Following the Chairman Sir John Mitting’s ruling regarding the release of the former officer’s cover name, the MPS agreed that it was in the public interest that the role of the MPS in this incident be made public.

Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball, in charge of Professionalism in the MPS, said: “The MPS has apologised to Hampshire Constabulary for the impact these decisions had on their ability to bring those responsible to justice.

“The precise circumstances of the decision to authorise an undercover officer to participate in this criminal act will be fully explored as part of the Public Inquiry process. I would like to be clear that the decision making surrounding this incident would simply not happen in today’s Metropolitan Police Service.

“It appears that the SDS allowed this incident to go ahead, as they saw it, in the interests of preventing more serious crime in the longer term. The scale of the release was unforeseen by the SDS at the time, but once the impact became clear they still did not inform Hampshire Constabulary of the officer’s involvement.

“It is not possible to say what direct impact the role of Christine Green’s involvement had or if different policing decisions could have averted the damage.

“I do understand that this decision making from 20 years ago will cause significant concern to the public, especially those people directly affected by the events in 1998. The MPS will be honest about our past and accept criticism where it is due.

“Today, undercover policing is extensively supervised, including by the Investigatory Powers Commissioner and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services. We work within this framework to use undercover policing tactics appropriately for the benefit of the public. We have a continuing responsibility to reassure the public about the ethics and integrity of modern policing.”

A referral was made to the then Independent Police Complaints Commission in April 2014 with regards to the role and conduct of Christine Green. The IPCC decided a local investigation should be carried out – this was conducted by Operation Herne under the supervision of then Derbyshire Chief Constable Mick Creedon. An investigation was carried out within the frameworks available at that time and a file was submitted to the CPS in December 2015. In February 2016 the CPS advised there was insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.

The work of Operation Herne remains ongoing.

The Public Inquiry published the former officer’s cover name on Tuesday, 20 February. A restriction order has been granted over her real name.