PC Cray said: ‘On the micro beat we get to know everyone and reassure the community. We gather a lot of intelligence and I make notes on things that may become significant in a future investigation.
‘We are very aware of violence against women and girls and as a female officer sometimes women will be more open with me.’
The two officers also warned one tourist to take his phone off the cafe table to which he profusely thanked them and shouted ‘I love London’.
Metropolitan Police Superintendent Natasha Evans pictured at Charing Cross Police Station
(Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)
She explained that those preying on clubbers were a key priority of teams that are part of Operation Baselife (Credits: Justin Griffiths-Williams)
PC Burman said: ‘It’s a great patch and we deal with a lot. At night there can be violence. We always try to defuse a situation.
‘At night I look out for people who just don’t belong. Like someone in an area where there are clubs but not dressed for it. You get a sense of who to look out for.
‘It can be dangerous but are working to make a difference. It’s a privilege to work on the best in the West End.’
Last month the Metropolitan Police smashed an international stolen phone smuggling gang in the largest ever operation against mobile thieves in the capital.
The gang had been responsible for 40% of phones stolen in the capital with a hotspot in the West End,but police uncovered the scheme using a Find My iPhone tracker in October.
Metro joins police ‘interceptor’ team for dramatic chase and bust on knife robbery suspect
By John DunnePulse racing,I’m strapped in tight as elite traffic cops hunt down and detain a knife robbery suspect with ruthless efficiency in London’s rush-hour.Tucked away in an unmarked police car,I witness first-hand how high-speed interceptor units work with officers on foot to detect,pursue and surprise crooks blighting the capital.A total of 140 were taken off the streets last week under Operation Baselife,which is seeing the Met Police use all the tools at its disposal to take the fight to the criminals. And in many cases,suspects did not know police were on their tails until they were in handcuffs.Minutes after I joined a patrol,the radio crackled into life. An ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) camera detected a suspect’s Mercedes on the A4 heading to the capital.Driver Sean is directed by an officer,who works like a rally car navigator by gathering intelligence from his computer,to track and intercept the suspect. They catch sight of the car on Embankment.Back-up is called and force chiefs instruct the interceptors to perform a hard stop – meaning in extreme circumstances they can collide with a suspect’s vehicle – to make an arrest.Blue lights disengaged so not to alert the target,Sean skilfully steers his SUV in front of the Mercedes as a colleague blocks the escape route by stopping inches behind the car.Armed cops then move in to make the arrest as bemused commuters look on.It’s an action-packed,heart-stopping manoeuvre that is over in seconds.It was an adrenaline rush for myself and the photographer to be in that car. But what struck us was the total calm of the officers even when the Mercedes had temporarily lost us.‘Sometimes when we have to pursue someone trying to drive away at speed and it’s dangerous there is adrenaline,’ said Sean. ‘But all of us in the interceptors know each other so well we don’t have to ask others what they are going to do. We’re a very strong team.’As part of Baselife,police also use e-bikes to chase thieves. ‘The bike is a game changer. We follow suspects where we couldn’t before. These criminals should know we are coming for them,’ one officer warned.
