More than 185 arrested in Met crackdown on robbery and theft in central London
Plain-clothed and uniformed officers carried out patrols in hotspot areas.
Last updated 10th Sep 2026
An operation in Westminster targeting prolific thieves who use e-bikes and mopeds to snatch from their victims and attempt to evade police, has resulted in 187 arrests and 157 vehicles seized.
Plain-clothed and uniformed officers carried out patrols in hotspot areas where thieves are known to use mopeds or e-bikes. Officers would stop offenders who were known to police, or who had links to previous incidents.
Specialist officers were also able to act immediately if a theft occurred. Expertly trained riders were able to follow stolen phones using tracking data, and pursue criminals, even through busy or pedestrianised areas.
187 Arrests
The operation resulted in 187 arrests, which included possession of dangerous weapons, drug-related offences, and robbery and theft offences.
The arrests form part of the Met's wider work to tackle weapons and violent crime, with 676 firearms and 2,894 knives taken off the streets last year.
In areas such as Lambeth and Southwark and key tourist and transport hubs including Waterloo and London Bridge, e-bike related crime fell by 22 per cent during the operation, which ran from February to July.
Disrupting criminality
Detective Superintendent Gareth Gilbert, who led the operation said:
“Through targeted operations like this, we are staying one step ahead of the criminals who use high-powered bikes or mopeds to steal from Londoners.
“By disrupting this criminality and making hundreds of arrests, we’re making London a safer place to live, work and visit. Our approach is working, with neighbourhood crime down 14 per cent over the past year and 13,000 fewer phone thefts.”
Alongside targeting the offenders who use them, officers continue to crackdown on illegal and modified e-bikes used on London’s roads, this has seen more than 2,500 illegal e-bikes and e-scooters seized so far this year.
The Met has also expanded its fleet of high-powered Sur-Ron e-bikes from five to 25, giving officers greater capability to pursue offenders who use illegal bikes to evade police.