Overview
- Operation Baselife, a week-long West End surge starting November 3, led to more than 140 arrests for offences including shoplifting and phone theft, with cases such as an upskirting arrest in Soho and phone thieves stopped at a Leicester Square ice rink.
- More than 100 additional officers, including covert teams, interceptors and the Marine Policing Unit, were deployed, and the Met said tactics included Live Facial Recognition at identified hotspots.
- The Met reported April–October year‑on‑year declines in the West End, including neighbourhood crime down 20.7%, knife crime down 22.3% and theft from the person down 23.7%.
- Separately, the NCA’s October phase of Operation Machinize saw 2,734 premises visited nationwide, around 924 arrests, over £10.7 million seized and £2.7 million of illegal goods destroyed, with more than 450 companies referred for further checks.
- In London, Met-led high‑street checks at 30 venues seized £240,000 in counterfeit goods, about 1,200 illegal vapes and £22,000 in cash, with HMRC launching five investigations, Immigration Enforcement supporting at 13 sites and closure proceedings begun against seven premises.