This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/london/6547403.stm

The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 3 Version 4
Police raid ex-Rastafarian temple Police raid ex-Rastafarian temple
(about 5 hours later)
Police have arrested 23 people during a raid on a former Rastafarian temple in south London in the early hours. Twenty-three people have been arrested in an armed raid on a former Rastafarian temple in south London.
About 60 armed officers targeted St Agnes Place in Kennington, just after 0300 following suspicions of "serious criminality" at the site. About 250 officers targeted the 32-room property in St Agnes Place, Kennington, in the early hours.
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 site, seen as the focal point for the UK's Rastafarian community, was receiving up to 600 visits a day, mostly for drugs, police said.
The management committee said the centre was no longer used as a temple. Kilogrammes of cannabis, some crack cocaine and ammunition were found inside, said police.
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 Bob Marley
St Agnes Place is believed to be the oldest squat in London. The search of the property is expected to take up to two days.
"It was a place of worship," said Lambeth Borough Commander Martin Bridger. This is not an attack on our Rastafarian community - this is an attack on drug dealers and criminals Steve Reed, Lambeth Council
"It's the headquarters for the Rastafarian community for the UK let alone Lambeth and we're proud of that. The site had been under 24-hour surveillance for the past six months, police said.
"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." Lambeth Borough Commander Martin Bridger said there were different rooms for different drugs.
Alternative site "If you were there to buy cannabis, you were probably directed to one room," he said.
The site had been under 24-hour surveillance for the past eight weeks. "If you were there to buy crack cocaine, you were directed to another room."
The site is the headquarters for the UK's Rastafarian community Evidence was gathered against a core of about 12 people suspected of drug dealing since the operation began last October.
Officers had gathered evidence against a core of about 12 people suspected of drug dealing since the police operation began in October. An explosive which goes off with a large bang, was used to distract those inside the premises as officers filed in.
The police search for drugs and guns at the temple is expected to last up to two days. It made some residents believe they had heard gun shots, but a police spokesman said no weapons were used.
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. Worshippers
Lambeth Council is in the process of trying to find an alternative site for the temple. Reggae legend Bob Marley is believed to have been a frequent visitor to the temple, thought to be London's oldest squat, in the 70s.
"It was a place of worship," said Commander Bridger.
"It's the headquarters for the Rastafarian community for the UK, let alone Lambeth, and we're proud of that.
"But the temple's managers said it had been taken over by drug dealers and was no longer being used as a place of worship."
Lambeth Council leader Steve Reed said the building was due to be demolished and worshippers would be offered an alternative site.
"I would like to make it clear that this is not an attack on our Rastafarian community - this is an attack on drug dealers and criminals," he said.
He said the police operation marked the launch of the borough's "get tough" policy on drug dealing.
"We're going to name and shame people who are caught buying drugs on our streets," he said.
"We will write to their employers, we will publish their pictures in the local newspapers."