A murder investigation has been launched following the death of a man in Charlton.
Officers attended a residential property in Erwood Road, SE7 at about 14:47hrs on Wednesday 22 November following reports that a man and a woman had been assaulted.
On arrival officers found a 58-year-old man with injuries consistent with an assault. The 47-year-old woman had sustained minor injuries.
Whilst officers were arresting the two suspects, the male victim became seriously ill. Officers conducted first aid, before colleagues from London Ambulance Service arrived on scene.
The man was taken to hospital in a critical condition. Despite the best efforts of medical professionals, he sadly died as a result of his injuries on 25 November. His next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specialist officers.
A post-mortem examination will be arranged in due course.
Two men were arrested in connection with the incident. Radoslaw Brzezicki, 41, (14/11/1982) of Erwood Road, Charlton and Marius Bruzas, 49, (28/06/1974) of Longmoore Street, Westminster appeared at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 24 November, charged with causing grievous bodily harm with Intent in connection with the incident. Brzezicki was further charged with assault causing actual bodily harm on the female victim.
At court, Brzezicki was remanded in custody and Bruzas was given bail. (We await details of the venue and date of their next court appearances.)
At this stage officers are treating this as an isolated incident. It is believed those involved are known to each other.
Enquiries are ongoing. Anyone with information or any witnesses yet to speak with police are asked to call 101, ref 6211/22nov.
A serving officer has been charged with sexual offences following an investigation by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards.
Sergeant Elliot Butler, attached to the Central East Command Unit, was charged with attempted rape and causing a male to engage in penetrative sexual activity on Friday, 27 October.
He was bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 27 November.
The offences are alleged to have taken place in 2013 when Sgt Butler was a Met Special Constable.
An investigation has been launched following a fatal collision in Kilburn.
Police were called at 15:23hrs on Saturday, 25 November to reports of a collision involving a lorry and a pedestrian at the junction of Kilburn High Road and Cambridge Avenue.
Officers attended along with paramedics from the London Ambulance Service.
The pedestrian, a 71-year-old man, died at the scene. His next of kin are yet to be informed.
The driver of the lorry stopped nearby a short time later and has been spoken to by police. There has been no arrest.
Any witnesses are asked to call 101 quoting CAD 4240/25Nov.
Officers have made 18 arrests during a significant policing operation in central London.
More than 1,500 officers, including hundreds from other UK police forces, were deployed to ensure the safety of protesters and the wider public.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan, who led the policing operation, said: “I would like to acknowledge the overwhelming majority who came into London today and exercised their right to protest lawfully.
“Regrettably, there was still a small minority who believed the law did not apply to them. Thanks to the efforts of our CCTV teams and other officers, a number of those are already in custody.
“Investigations into other offences are already under way and will continue in the coming days.
“I would also like to thank the Met officers, as well as all those from other forces who travelled long distances to help us keep London safe, for their efforts.
“We said we would intervene decisively where offences took place and that is what they did.”
As of 19:00hrs, there had been 18 arrests. The details of those arrests are below:
As the protest gathered at Marble Arch, a man was arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred after officers spotted him carrying a placard with swastikas on.
Images were shared on social media showing literature being distributed which featured a swastika inside a Star of David. Officers later spotted the same literature at a stall in Whitehall and arrested four people on suspicion of distributing material likely to stir up racial hatred.
The policing operation was supported by specialist ‘Voyager’ teams working in the operations room to monitor CCTV for the purpose of identifying suspects.
On two separate occasions, they were able to locate people seen earlier in the day wearing green headbands with white Arabic script. While these headbands were not necessarily identical to those worn by the proscribed terrorist organisation, Hamas, they were similar.
There were sufficient grounds for officers to suspect they were wearing signs and symbols that could indicate support for a proscribed organisation.
Both men were arrested on suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation after Voyager teams guided officers through the crowds to find and extract them.
A static protest organised by Hizb-ut-Tahrir took place outside the Egyptian Embassy in South Street.
Two women were arrested for a racially aggravated public order offence after they were seen to be holding placards with messaging on likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign march concluded on time and the majority of participants left the area without incident.
In recent weeks we have seen breakaway groups head into the West End causing disorder and roaming around in a disorderly manner.
Shortly before 17:00hrs, a similar breakaway group began to march up Whitehall, setting off flares that have previously been used against officers.
Officers formed a cordon across Whitehall and the group were detained to be searched under Section 60 of the Public Order Act.
Conditions under Section 12 of the Public Order Act were also imposed preventing the march setting off again.
The group mainly dispersed without further incident, however six people were arrested for refusing directions to disperse and thereby breaching the dispersal order in place under Section 35 of the Public Order Act.
One man was arrested near Trafalgar Square for possession of an offensive weapon, specifically a knife.
Another man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker after an officer was struck in the chest. The officer wasn’t injured during the incident.
Officers also dealt with an incident in a pub on Whitehall next to the cordon and a man was arrested on suspicion of common assault. It is not known yet if he was connected to the protest.
Officers from the Met’s Road and Transport Policing Command are appealing for the public’s help to find a wanted man.
Gerald Cotter, 56 (27.08.1967) who has links with the Hackney area, is wanted on recall to prison.
Cotter was jailed for an offence of causing death by dangerous driving in March, 2017, after he admitted causing the death of a 23-year-old man on Orient Way, E10 in November 2016.
He also pleaded guilty to a number of other offences.
The recall follows Cotter breaching the conditions of release.
Anyone spotting Cotter should not approach him but call 999 immediately.
Any witnesses or anyone with any information is asked to call police on 101 or contact via X (Twitter) @MetCC. Please quote CAD 3190/22 Nov.
To give information anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.
We are continuing to support the Independent Office for Police Conduct as it investigates a fatal police shooting in Dagenham last night.
Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: “Our thoughts remain with the loved ones of the man who has died, with the local community in Dagenham and the officers involved in this incident.
“The IOPC is independently investigating this matter. It is right that officers are held to account when shots are fired, and we will work with the IOPC to provide all the information they need to carry out their enquiries.
“Our armed officers are highly trained and work around the clock to keep people safe in London. We ask them to do an incredibly difficult job every day and make split second decisions under huge pressure. A fatal police shooting is rare. The officers involved in this matter are being supported as they assist the IOPC investigation.”
At 19:59hrs on Thursday, 23 November, officers were called to Weston Green, Dagenham. The occupant of an address called the police and said that he wanted to take his own life.
During the phone call, the man also stated that he was in possession of loaded firearms.
As a result of this information, firearms officers attended the address. Police continued efforts to engage with the man throughout.
Shortly before 21:00hrs shots were fired by police after the man left the address. The IOPC has confirmed that what appears to be a firearm was recovered next to him.
Officers immediately provided first aid, including CPR, but despite their efforts and those of paramedics, the man was sadly pronounced dead at the scene at 21:30hrs. While formal identification has yet to take place, officers believe he was aged 40. His next of kin has been informed. No one else was at the address at the time.
The IOPC have also confirmed that what appears to be a second firearm was recovered from inside the address.
More than 1,500 officers will be on duty this weekend, including 500 from outside London, as the Met prepares for another weekend of protest.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan, who will lead the policing operation this weekend, said: “The conflict in the Middle East is continuing and here in London we are still seeing the cumulative impact of continued protest, increasing tensions, and rising hate crime.
“That fear and anxiety is particularly felt by our Jewish and Muslim communities.
“We know a lot more about the cumulative impact of these protests than we did seven weeks ago and that is reflected in our approach.
“The Met supports the right for people to make their voices heard through protest providing it is done lawfully. However, the law also protects people from racist and religious abuse and prohibits the promotion of terrorism.
“While the majority of protesters have complied with these rules, a minority have crossed the line.
“We’ve been working positively with organisers, including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), to ensure everyone taking part in protests clearly understands our expectations.
“We are very pleased that the PSC have brought in extra stewards and that they’ve agreed to be clear in their communications about how supporters must behave.
“The public will see further communication from us this weekend both online and in the form of leaflets, which our officers will share with protesters along the march route.
“As you would expect, this sets out that anyone who is racist or incites hatred against any group should expect to be arrested. As should anyone who supports Hamas or any other banned organisation.
“We will not tolerate anyone who celebrates or promote acts of terrorism – such as the killing or kidnap of innocent people – or who spreads hate speech.
“I hope that those planning to attend protests this weekend will reflect on this and that the vast majority of those who are law abiding will help us by holding their fellow protestors to account.
“If they see behaviour that has crossed the line into criminality we ask them to challenge it and to report it immediately to one of the many officers present. In a huge march, officers cannot see everything that is going on, but others do, and if they report it we will act quickly.”
Policing approach:
The public will see robust intervention from our officers in the event of any criminal activity this weekend.
There will be trained spotters at specific points of the march looking out for criminal activity, including hate placards and clothing, and identifying those responsible.
We also have officers who have been briefed on chants, including those which cross the line of the law.
Across the weekend, we will also be using technology to identify and track offenders within large groups of people and deploying intervention teams where we need to extract suspects.
We have been clear that policing a protest is complex and our work doesn’t simply stop when the event finishes. Our specialist teams continue to gather and review evidence to identify criminal behaviour and to locate those responsible.
In recent weeks the public have helped us to identify many of those suspected of committing crimes. A woman was recently identified with help from the public and interviewed under caution for a placard with the Star of David and a swastika.
We’ve also seen people identify themselves after the strength of our social media appeals. Two women who were videoed chanting antisemitic chants identified themselves after one of our appeals had 5.4 million views.
Officers are also looking for opportunities to use retrospective facial recognition which enables us to compare an image caught on CCTV, or other footage, against a vast database of custody images.
It can be used after an event or incident as part of a criminal investigation and speeds up the identification, and elimination, of suspects.
On past weekends, our main challenge has been the dispersal of protestors at the end of the march. Whilst the vast majority of the marchers have dispersed quickly and peacefully, we have consistently seen small breakaway groups heading into the West End. These groups can see serious disruption, setting off fireworks causing fear and intimidation.
In particular, we are keen that the message gets out about the importance of dispersing at the end of the march and not creating breakaway groups like we have seen in recent weeks. These groups can cause serious disruption, fear and intimidation in communities and amongst people going out their normal business in the West End. Officers will be proactive and decisive in responding to groups who are acting in this way.
It’s our clear intention to ensure nobody is intimidated or left in fear for their safety by a roaming group.
We will intervene very early, using all the legal powers at our disposal, to make sure people feel safe and are safe.
Palestine Solidarity Campaign demonstration
On Saturday, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign will hold a march from Park Lane to Whitehall.
The following conditions have been imposed under Section 12 of the Public Order Act:
The procession must not commence until 12:30hrs and participants must not assemble at Park Lane before this time.
Any person participating in the procession must not deviate from the route specific on the map below.
The following conditions have been imposed under Section 14 of the Public Order Act:
The PSC organised assembly must end no later than 17:00hrs.
Any participant in the PSC organised assembly must not enter the area in red in the map below (this is the area around the Israeli Embassy).
Hizb-ut-Tahrir demonstration
On Saturday afternoon, there will be a static protest at the Egyptian Embassy in South Street, W1K organised by Hizb-ut-Tahrir.
This is the first time Hizb-ut-Tahrir have held a protest since 21 October, when there was considerable debate about the use of the word ‘jihad’.
Nobody can fail to have seen the public reaction and the strength of feeling in the Jewish community in particular.
It is a word that clearly causes upset and concern, but it’s always contextual.
If we think people are chanting this to incite violence, terrorism or antisemitism – we will act decisively and quickly.
The following conditions have been imposed under Section 14 of the Public Order Act:
The assembly must not commence until 13:00hrs and participants must remain in the area shaded red on the map below.
The assembly must end by 15:30hrs.
March Against Antisemitism
On Sunday, there will be a March Against Antisemitism, organised by the Campaign Against Antisemitism.
The march will begin at 13:30hrs outside the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand.
Discussions have taken place with organisers and there is a detailed policing plan in place ahead of the event.
Officers will be on hand for the safety of those taking part and to ensure that any offences, whether from within the protest or from any groups trying to challenge or interfere with the march, can be swiftly dealt with.
A former police constable would have been dismissed if he was still serving, a misconduct hearing has found.
PC Paul Onslow, formerly attached to South East Command Unit, appeared at a misconduct hearing on November 23 to answer allegations that he engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a victim of crime between 7 August 2019 and 1 October 2021.
His conduct was found to breach the standards of professional behaviour, in respect of authority, respect and courtesy.
The panel, chaired by Maurice Cohen, found the allegations proven at gross misconduct and ruled that PC Onslow would have been dismissed had he still been serving.
Commander Trevor Lawry, in charge of policing in SE BCU, said: “It is unacceptable for any police officer to use his position in begin a relationship.
“Police officers have a privileged position of power and they need to maintain the upmost level of conduct at all times.”
Almost four years on from the terrorist attack in Streatham High Street, an armed officer who rushed to the scene to save lives has been found not guilty of dangerous driving.
On 2 February 2020 PC Paul Fisher was deployed in response to an urgent call for assistance after two members of the public were stabbed by Sudesh Amman.
On his way to the active terrorist incident PC Fisher and a second police car heard over the radio that lives were in danger, members of the public were seriously injured, and shots had been fired.
PC Fisher was travelling at high-speed as the lead in a two-car armed convoy response under immense pressure to get to the scene. En route he collided with three cars and a garden wall, resulting in injuries to two other drivers.
After a six-day trial at Southwark Crown Court the jury returned a not guilty verdict.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said: “If an officer makes honest mistakes under the most immense pressure while rushing to a live terrorist incident it cannot be right this is dealt with by a criminal trial nearly four years later. That’s why the treatment of this brave officer by the systems of accountability is appalling.
“No other country in the world would haul one of its most highly trained officers before a court for responding to one of the most serious incidents we can deal with and doing their utmost to preserve life.
“The driving errors made by PC Fisher were made under the most intense pressure while trying to protect members of the public from a terrorist. The right answer would have been a rapid review of this incident, warnings, re-training and testing. Instead, there have been almost four years of stress.
“I routinely hear from officers who avoid pursuits or indeed even being trained because they know their split-second, pressured decisions will be unpicked over many years. This case further undermines the confidence of all officers using their powers to keep the public safe.
“The system has to change. The alternative is colleagues becoming more scared of an imbalanced and disproportionate system than they are of facing terrorists and criminals intent on attacking communities.
“Officers fully expect to be held accountable for their actions, but they need to know the system holding them to account will be swift, fair, competent, and recognise the split-second decisions made every single day. The current set-up clearly fails those tests.
“I am very grateful the Home Office and Attorney General are conducting a thorough review to find a more appropriate balance for accountability. We will continue to support their officials in any way possible through this process.”
An IOPC investigation began in February 2020 into PC Fisher and another armed PC driving the second car in the convoy – which continued to respond to the incident following the collision.
The IOPC submitted a file to the Crown Prosecution Service in May 2021. They agreed to charge PC Fisher with dangerous driving and he appeared in court for his first appearance in August 2022.
The CPS decided no further action should be taken against the other PC.
Both officers were been removed from driving duties pending the outcome of the criminal case. As is normal process at the conclusion of a criminal case we will now liaise with the IOPC on the next steps.
Overnight a man has been arrested thanks to a public appeal after women were followed and an Uber driver stabbed in Clapham.
A member of the public called police after seeing the appeal and officers immediately began carrying out enquiries.
Shortly before 04:20hrs on Friday, 24 November, a 22-year-old man was arrested in Brixton. He was arrested on suspicion of committing grievous bodily harm, possession of an offensive weapon and public order offences. He is currently in police custody.
Officers also arrested a 35-year-old man at the same location on suspicion of burglary in relation to an unrelated ongoing investigation.
Detective Superintendent Dan O’Sullivan, from the South West Command Unit, said: “Firstly, I would like to thank the public for their assistance that led to this arrest. I know that many people will have been incredibly concerned about the details of these linked investigations. I want to reassure local residents that we are continuing to carry out extra reassurance patrols.
“I also want to be clear that our enquiries and our vigilance doesn’t end with this arrest. A team of dedicated detectives are continuing to carry out a thorough investigation. This man is currently in police custody and will be questioned by detectives.
“Help from the public is clearly vital to our investigations and I would again ask anyone who has any information about this investigation to get in touch immediately.”
On Friday, 17 November, a woman was walking on Sisters Avenue, SW11 at around 04:00hrs when she noticed a man following her. As he got close, she began to shout and he ran away. He was in possession of a knife.
The second incident took place on Sumburgh Road, SW12 at around 01:40hrs on Sunday, 19 November. The man approached a woman and grabbed her, but she managed to escape.
On Thursday, 23 November, at around 00:20hrs, an Uber driver was stabbed in the chest twice on Nightingale Lane in Clapham. His condition is not life threatening or life changing and he has been released from hospital.
From the description, officers have linked this suspect to the other offences.
At around 02:50hrs on Thursday, 23 November, officers saw the suspect at Clapham Common near the Holy Trinity Church, approaching women. Officers chased him, but he ran off in the direction of Clapham Common West Side.
At 04:45hrs, the same officers recognised the man, on this occasion using a red bicycle. He was again chased and lost on St John’s Road at the junction with Aliwal Road.