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| Police raid ex-Rastafarian temple | |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Police have arrested 23 people during a raid on a former Rastafarian temple in south London during the early hours. | |
| About 60 armed officers targeted St Agnes Place in Kennington, just after 0300 following suspicions of "serious criminality" at the site. | |
| The centre, seen as the headquarters of the UK's Rastafarian community, has recently attracted up to 600 people a day, mostly buying drugs, said police. | |
| The management committee said the centre was no longer used as a temple. | The management committee said the centre was no longer used as a temple. |
| Members of the management committee have actually come to me and said it's being taken over by people who are supplying drugs Commander Martin Bridger | |
| St Agnes Place is believed to be the oldest squat in London. | St Agnes Place is believed to be the oldest squat in London. |
| "It was a place of worship," said Lambeth Borough Commander Martin Bridger. | |
| "It's the headquarters for the Rastafarian community for the UK let alone Lambeth and we're proud of that. | "It's the headquarters for the Rastafarian community for the UK let alone Lambeth and we're proud of that. |
| "But members of the management committee have actually come to me and said it's being taken over by people who are supplying drugs - it's no longer being used as a temple." | "But members of the management committee have actually come to me and said it's being taken over by people who are supplying drugs - it's no longer being used as a temple." |
| Alternative site | |
| The site had been under 24-hour surveillance for the last eight weeks. | |
| Officers had gathered evidence against a core of about 12 people suspected of drug dealing since the police operation began in October. | |
| The police search for drugs and guns at the temple is expected to last up to two days. | The police search for drugs and guns at the temple is expected to last up to two days. |
| The four terraced houses, topped by a Rastafarian flag, were frequently visited by Bob Marley in the 1970s and have been at the centre of a dispute over whether they should be demolished. | |
| Lambeth Council is in the process of trying to find an alternative site for the temple. |