Arrest over police car crash and parcel thefts

The incident happened in East Ham on Tuesday afternoon

A man crashed into three police cars while trying to flee officers who were investigating parcel thefts from delivery vans in east London, the Met Police said.

The man, who is in his 50s, was stopped in a car on High Street South, East Ham, at about 14:30 BST on Tuesday.

He was found to be in possession of a number of parcels, the force said.

He was taken to hospital as a precaution due to injuries sustained in the crash. No officers were injured.

He was arrested on suspicion of theft from a parcel delivery van in addition to failing to stop for police and driving offences.

'Significant resources'

The arrest comes as parcels were said to have been stolen less than 30 minutes before from a parcel delivery van in Newham, a spokesperson for the Met said.

The force added the delivery van driver briefly left his vehicle to deliver a parcel, when three males broke into the van and made off with a number of packages.

Enquiries were ongoing to locate the men, the Met added.

Det Ch Insp Laura Hillier said: “A team of police officers, including specialist Met Taskforce and Flying Squad detectives, are continuing an operation to tackle crime against parcel delivery firms and their staff.

“We are using innovative tactics and dedicating significant resources to identify those believed to be responsible and arrest them."

She urged anyone with information to call 101 and quote Operation Soslink. Anonymous reports can be made to Crimestoppers.