This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-22537548
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Largest ever Met raids target burglars and drug offenders | |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| More than 1,000 officers have taken part in the Metropolitan Police's largest ever number of co-ordinated raids in London. | More than 1,000 officers have taken part in the Metropolitan Police's largest ever number of co-ordinated raids in London. |
| Fifty-two people have so far been arrested in east and north London in an operation targeting burglary and drug offenders. | |
| The Met said more than 75 addresses were raided in the early hours. | The Met said more than 75 addresses were raided in the early hours. |
| In a statement the force said a haul of electrical items including phones and laptops had also been seized. | |
| All of those arrested are at various police stations pending further inquiries, said police. | |
| Officers worked with Tower Hamlets Council and specialist police teams in what they called the Met's largest ever "pre-planned single arrest operation". | |
| Ahead of the raids, belongings worth about £100,000 were recovered and "hundreds" returned to their owners. | |
| Det Chief Insp Des McHugh, who led the raids, said the arrests were part of an operation designed to combat criminal networks. | |
| Tower Hamlets Borough Commander, Chief Supt Dave Stringer, said: "Every break-in and every street snatch shatters lives whilst drug dealing can have a devastating impact on communities." | |
| Nicholas Mitchison, 85, was targeted last year as he and his wife, Lorna, slept in their Islington home. | |
| The retired professor had a paper on human genetics for London's University College Hospital on the computer which was stolen. | |
| He said: "They appeared to know exactly which items to take and quite deliberately targeted the computer. | |
| "We really didn't expect to see it again so were most surprised when we were contacted by the police to say they had recovered items belonging to us." |