The operation was carried out across Havering, Redbridge and Barking and Dagenham (credit: Met Police)
“Operation Konka Pot”, aimed at tackling robberies and violent crime in the Ilford, Barking and Valentine’s Park areas, took place on Thursday, 4 February and Friday, 5 February.
Officers from The Violence Suppression Unit were proactively looking for high harm offenders, conducting weapon sweeps and engaging with the community.
Seven weapons, a quantity of drugs and around £5,000 in cash were all seized.
They also reported 50 residents for breaching coronavirus guidelines.
On the first day of the operation, officers stopped and searched a car on Victoria Road, Barking after it was notably avoiding police.
A knife was found hidden in the drivers waistband and fraudulent documents inside the car.
The man was arrested and later charged.
Later that evening, another vehicle activated an ANPR camera for being reported as stolen.
The car was stopped and checks revealed the driver was wanted for burglary, grievous bodily harm, possession with the intent to supply class A drugs and dangerous driving.
Other teams across the Met including the RPTC Road Crime Team, Firearms Command – Trojan Proactive Unit, Dog Section, Mounted Branch, RPTC Tasking Team, British Transport Police and Safer Neighbourhood officers were also involved with the operation.
The Multi-Agency Tasking (MAT) Team, a proactive unit based around Ilford Town Centre, took part and worked with London Borough of Redbridge Enforcement Officers and other council departments to solve local issues.
Police seized seven weapons during the operation (credit: Met Police)
Detective Superintendent, Paul Trevers said: “There was lots of good old fashioned policing where we were just trying to be in the right places to stop and see and talk to those people who we thought were in the area to conduct crime.
“My view has always been that as police officers we are there to prevent crime first and foremost, so hopefully with greater visibility we will stop crimes occurring in the first place which means we have less victims of crime; that’s the primary objective.
“Of course sometimes crime does happen, I’m determined where possible we can catch those offenders carrying out the acts at the time, if not very shortly after.
“They (the patrols) will be fed intelligence; Members of the public will call us to say they’ve been a victim of crime or seen a crime, or they might have seen anti-social behaviour or drug dealing. By having the officers in that area at the time means we can respond to it much quicker aswell.
Dedicated patrols took place to ensure coronavirus regulations were being followed.
“I think it’s fair to say locally across the three boroughs we’ve seen way to much flouting of the rules.
“There’s been some unlicensed music events, house parties and baby showers. Clearly the pandemic is something for us all to be concerned about and we all have a role to play.
“We’re certainly busy and have dedicated Covid patrols. We’re working very closely with the three local authorities and other partners so we can be visible and intervene when its right to do so, but we’ll also police it carefully.”
Police need to hear from anyone who has information about crime, those who carry a weapon, or those who exploit others for gain or revenge, while putting young people’s lives at risk.
Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit their website.
If you are worried about someone you suspect may be carrying a knife or other weapon, advice and support is also available through organisations including Knife Free and Fearless.
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Tags: Havering, Redbridge, Barking, Barking and Dagenham, Metropolitan Police
