More than 800 officers took part in a major joint operation this morning, raiding 24 properties and making 17 arrests, with one officer stabbed in the leg while carrying out a warrant. The injured officer was treated at the scene and taken to hospital with non-life-changing injuries, the Met Police confirmed.
Raids across five counties target alleged crime group
Addresses across Essex, London, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk were raided in an effort to dismantle an alleged organised crime group. The officer was stabbed while executing a warrant at an address in Cockfosters, Barnet. The Met Police have warned communities to expect an ongoing police presence for some days.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “These arrests mark a significant point in this investigation. Those arrested are suspected of leading or being involved at a senior level in serious and organised crime and related financial offending.”
Financial authorities join investigation
As part of the wider operation, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which helped lead the investigation alongside the Met and HMRC, said they disrupted seven firms and were actively pursuing a further 30. An FCA spokesperson said: “Tackling financial crime requires the type of partnership shown by today’s joint action and the many months of close cooperation leading to it.”
An HMRC spokesperson added: “Today’s action highlights the importance of close collaboration between HMRC and other law enforcement partners in tackling serious and organised crime, including suspected money laundering and other criminal activity.”
Suspects face a range of charges
The details of today's arrests include a 65-year-old man arrested on suspicion of participating in the activities of an organised crime group, conspiracy to commit GBH, money laundering and tax evasion. A 56-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of GBH in relation to the stabbing of the police officer, participating in the activities of an organised crime group, money laundering, cheating the public revenue (tax evasion), false accounting, and failure to disclose suspicion of money laundering.
Other arrests include a 31-year-old woman on suspicion of conspiracy to commit GBH and participating in the activities of an organised crime group; a 64-year-old man on suspicion of participating in the activities of an organised crime group, money laundering, and failure to disclose suspicion of money laundering; and a 47-year-old man on suspicion of participating in the activities of an organised crime group, money laundering, false accounting, and cheating the public revenue. A 26-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of participating in the activities of an organised crime group, money laundering, cheating the public revenue, and false accounting.
The Met Police spokesperson added: “We know the impact of serious and organised crime stretches well beyond those at senior levels of the organisations involved. Lines can often be drawn from the top, all the way to those involved in the criminality that blights communities, including serious violence and exploitation.”
“Investigating these groups is among the most complex work the Met undertakes. It requires a significant investment of time and money and the expertise not just of specialist police officers but of colleagues from partner organisations like HMRC and the FCA. We hope these arrests show how determined we are to ensure organised crime groups cannot operate freely in London. We will work tirelessly to identify them, to gather evidence and to take action.”
