The Met Police in Croydon has embarked on a publicity campaign, apparently in an effort to restore public confidence in their work on catching criminals and deterring crime.
Nicked: Amari Scott, from Sutton, is one of three arrests in the past six months made by Croydon police seeking phone thieves
They might sound as if they have been spending too much time with management consultants, too, as under a release headlined “Crackdown to tackle phone theft and robbery in Croydon“, the Met says they have a “laser-like focus” and that they are working to “a drum beat of operations”. Apparently seriously.
The advent of bodycams and widespread availability of CCTV footage has given police hours of on-the-spot material to produce their own little true crime videos, like one they posted on social media today, with its dramatic percussion soundtrack (their drum beat?) and television-style graphics. Dixon of Dock Green it ain’t.
“Watch the moment a thief on a motorbike snatches a phone from a woman’s hand in Croydon,” read the breathless script accompanying.
“Officers swiftly tracked the mobile phone and arrested the culprit within a few hours.”
This is in marked contrast to other incidents in the borough, where traders and shop owners relate complete disinterest from the police in attending scenes of alleged crimes, even repeat offence.
In one case, a business in South Croydon was broken into four times earlier this year, yet despite having saved the evidence, including extensive CCTV footage, they never got as much as a visit from the Metropolitan Police following their 999 call.
Today, the Met said, “Met officers are tackling robbery and theft as part of their commitment to making Croydon safer by using precision policing to target offenders.” This, they say is “responding to community concerns around pick-pocketing, robbery and theft”.
And they really do say: “With a laser-like focus on CCTV footage and a drum beat of operations in robbery hotspots, officers are intensifying efforts to tackle these issues head on and take more criminals off the streets.”
Neighbourhood officers have been encouraging victims to report robberies as they happen to allow for a quick-time investigation. “This early reporting has enabled officers to get to the scene promptly and start collecting crucial evidence. This significantly increases the likelihood of apprehending a suspect.” Which, after all, until recent times had long been the public expectation of the approach to crime-solving by the police.
The Met says that officers are being deployed to areas with higher robbery crime rates. “This deters criminals and makes officers more visibly available to members of the community.”
Chief Inspector James Weston said: “We understand the impact that robbery has on victims – it is invasive and frightening. That’s why our teams are working so hard to deter and catch offenders to reassure our local community.” Ch Insp Weston said that “we are stepping up our efforts and tackling the issues that matter most to the people of Croydon”.
The Met’s press office has provided examples of three successful prosecutions.
Teenagers aged 16 and 17 pleaded guilty to counts of robbery, attempted robbery and attempted grievous bodily harm following what the Met calls “a spree” of robberies across Croydon and Bromley on August 5.
“A coordinated effort was undertaken to identify the teenagers following one report, where a victim was robbed at knifepoint. Officers immediately began to investigate, recovering two discarded kitchen knives and analysing hours’ worth of CCTV.”
The investigation also involved analysing phone records to show the pair were present at the locations of the reported robberies. Detectives used this evidence to prove that the pair were responsible for eight other robberies across the south London area.
In another case, a man was arrested following a succession of robberies in Croydon and Lambeth.
Amari Scott, aged 20, giving an address at Wrythe Lane, Sutton, was sentenced to four years in a young offender’s institution following prosecution for snatching mobile phones.
On March 6 this year, a woman had her iPhone snatched out of her hands by an offender on a moped. Less than an hour later, a report came in that another victim had had their phone stolen while they waited for a bus.
“The man was arrested following a swift police response,” according to the Met, “with officers using real-time phone tracking data to locate him. Officers identified him the same day, where he was still in possession of the stolen phones.
“While arresting him, officers also recovered a stolen motorbike.”
So, next time you are the victim of or think you are the witness to a crime, call 999. The police are promising a swift, or “quick-time”, response.
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While it’s good that this scumbag was nicked, he was caught in the act of flogging it to a phone shop. If the cops had waited two minutes, they could have also got the manager and arrested him too for receiving stolen goods. Phone shop managers who facilitate this crime should be prosecuted and jailed. They’re the other part of this problem by rewarding thieves for stealing
The other video shows a chase alongside Queen’s Gardens.
Have officers done anything about the illegally parked vehicles tucked between the high-rises, where drug deals are being done, allegedly, in broad daylight?
Looks like a post office to me?
West Croydon Post Office, to be precise
Why mock the cops for doing a great job?
The only people saying the cops are doing a “great job” are the cops. And you.