Met arrest 243 people as part of knife crime crack down
The Met used data to identify high priority suspects and get them into custody.
The Metropolitan Police say they have arrested 243 of the most dangerous knife crime offenders in the capital, and seized 159 knives during a 2 week operation.
The targeted action, named Operation Sceptre, involved using intelligence and data to identify offenders who posed the highest risk of harm to Londoners.
Officers targeted known gang members, were deployed in areas known for violent crime, carried out weapons sweep and also focused on the illegal sale of knives in person and online.
Significant achievement
The use of stop and search resulted in the recovery of 77 knives.
Commander James Conway, the Met’s frontline policing lead, said:
“Tackling knife crime remains one of our top priorities and through interventions like Operation Sceptre, we’re making real progress.
“By being proactive and directing our resources at those who pose the greatest risk, we have driven knife-enabled crime down by 17 per cent in a year. We’re not complacent and are determined to reduce it even further.
“243 arrests in two weeks is a significant achievement. It's a 67 per cent increase compared to the last time Op Sceptre ran in November 2025.
“That progress can be credited in part to the use of technology to bring intelligence and information together to allow us to intervene more precisely, but also to changes we’ve made to how we deploy proactive policing teams in their local areas where they can have a greater impact on the crimes blighting communities.
“The 159 knives seized is 69 higher than in November. It adds to the more than 3,000 weapons officers removed from the streets last year.
“Too often we see the devastating impact of senseless violence involving knives, including the impact it has not just on families who lose loved ones but on entire communities. Every knife removed and every suspect arrested has the potential to prevent serious harm or save a life.”