Dawn raids carried out on suspected knife smuggler

A circular saw was used by police officers in south London during a dawn raid on a suspected knife smuggler

The Met released body-worn footage of the raid at a flat in Wandsworth Road, Lambeth, south London, shortly after 5am on Tuesday.

Footage shows one officer cutting their way through the doorframe and door, and using a battering ram to smash their way in, before the groggy suspect is arrested.

A man in his twenties was held on suspicion of importing prohibited weapons into the UK after 10 knives were found in the flat including lock knives and flick knives.

It is alleged he was involved in importing knives from China, including banned zombie knives which were seized by Border Force.

Detective Chief Inspector Kara Moulds said: “These knives have no place on London’s streets.

“They are specifically designed to inflict serious harm, which is why our officers are relentlessly targeting those suspected of bringing them into our communities.

“Every knife we seize is one less weapon that can be used to threaten, injure or kill. By taking them off the streets and bringing offenders to justice, we’re making London safer for everyone.”

These raids form part of the Met’s ongoing efforts to tackle knife crime and violence across the capital. Knife-enabled crime is down 5.9 per cent in the financial year to date, while knife-enabled robbery has fallen by 13.7 per cent over the same period.

Zombie knives and machetes were banned in 2024 and were among more than 14,500 weapons dropped off in Government-backed amnesty bins between July 2025 and August this year.

The number of homicides involving a knife or sharp instrument recorded annually by police in England and Wales fell to its lowest level for 35 years in the year to the end of March 2026, with 176 knife killings recorded by police, down 14% from 204 in the previous 12 months.

First for all the latest news from across the UK every hour on Hits Radio on DAB, at hitsradio.co.uk and on the Rayo app.