Fifteen people were arrested during a police operation aimed at cracking down on a range of crimes from motoring offences to illegal weapons.

Fourteen vehicles were seized after 370 were stopped and police issued 39 fixed penalty notices for a variety of offences, including driving with no insurance and other motoring offences.

High visible street patrols were carried out in Stratford and High Street North in East Ham while officers used automatic number plate readers at Romford Road and Green Street to clamp down on driving offences.

Visits to private homes and pubs were also carried out while plain clothes patrols took place around Stratford and on buses.

The two day crackdown, dubbed Operation Themis, took place last Friday and Saturday and saw Newham police council enforcement officers being joined by officers from the UK Borders Agency, Safer Transport Command and other agencies.

The arrests related to assault, being in possession of an offensive weapon or class A drugs, theft of a motor vehicle, and a person wanted on warrant for failing to appear at court. They also included two arrests for immigration offences.

Of those arrested some were charged, some received a caution and the two arrested for the immigration offences were referred to United Kingdom Border Agency officers with one being recommended for deportation.

Detectives from Newham’s burglary squad also identified victims of burglary whom they considered vulnerable or believed might benefit from follow-up visits to provide further crime prevention advice.

Licensing teams also visited pubs, clubs, off-licenses and gambling establishments to ensure they complied with regulations.

Test purchases to check if under age people were being sold alcohol were carried out. But all the places visited complied with regulations.

Establishments were also searched for drugs.

Saturday morning also saw borough cadets undertake their very first ‘weapons sweep’ in Britannia Village. The cadets recovered one knife and some stolen numberplates.

Safer Neighbourhood Teams, supported by Victim Support and Local Authority youth workers also ran a crime prevention stand at Stratford Station, which it is estimated was visited by around 500 people.