West End crime crackdown sees 140 people arrested

Extra officers were deployed as part of the operation

More than 140 people have been arrested as part of a week-long Metropolitan Police operation targeting crime in London's West End.

One hundred additional officers were deployed to tackle offences including shoplifting and phone theft as part of the force's Operation Baselife.

Those arrested included two phone thieves operating at a Leicester Square ice rink, a prolific upskirter caught covertly filming women as they queued to use the toilet in a Soho cafe, and two men caught driving a stolen vehicle around Paddington.

Supt Natasha Evans, who led the operation, said it showed "targeting prolific offenders in crime hotspots works".

"Our intelligence-led approach means we're solving twice as many shoplifting cases and taking hundreds of offenders off the streets," she said.

"Through this intensified action, we are continuing to ensure the West End remains a safe and welcoming place for residents, businesses and the millions of visitors who come here each month.

"We're doubling down before Christmas, as the West End enters one of its busiest periods."

Those arrested included two phone thieves operating at a Leicester Square ice rink, the Met said

The operation began on 3 November and both uniformed and covert teams worked to target prolific offenders, the Met said.

On 4 November, two men were arrested after covert officers observed them trying to steal mobile phones from women at an ice rink.

Officers searched the men and found several stolen phones on them, with one returned to its owner.

The following day, covert officers arrested a suspect for an upskirting offence after a man was caught standing behind two women and filming their buttocks as they waited for the bathroom in a coffee shop.

After seizing the man's phone, officers discovered a significant number of similar videos taken around London.

The Met said between 1 April and 29 October officers have achieved reductions in several types of crime in the West End compared with the same period last year.

This included a 22.3% reduction in knife crime and a 23.7% fall in theft from a person.

Supt Evans said local officers, specialist teams and technology such as Live Facial Recognition would be deployed to focus on the areas with the most crime "to keep driving numbers down".