Met Police arrest more than 900 in London-wide knife crime op

Hundreds of arrests have been made as a result of a Met Police campaign to supress knife crime.

Operation Sceptre has seen police forces across the country attempt to clamp down on such crime through targeted patrols, weapons sweeps and warrants aimed at targeting high harm offenders.

Running from November 15-21, the operation resulted in a total of 937 arrests being made, with 82 warrants executed.

A total of 290 knives were recovered following 2,745 weapon sweeps.  

Additionally, 246 school presentations were conducted alongside 186 community meetings and educational events.  

The leading officer on Op Sceptre, superintendent Jim Corbett, said: “Knife crime completely destroys victims, families and communities, which is why tackling it is our top priority. 

“Operation Sceptre is an intensification of the work we already do relentlessly every single day, and officers will continue doing everything they can to target those intent on committing violent crime on our streets."

Data released by the Met shows that knife crime has decreased by 32 per cent over the last year, as assessed in the 12 months prior to October 2021.

This is compared to the same period before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in 2019.