More than 140 arrests made during Met Police crackdown in London’s West End

Over 100 additional officers were deployed to tackle offences including shoplifting and phone theft as part of Operation Baselife.

Among those arrested for criminal acts were two phone thieves operating at Leicester Square's pop-up ice rink, alongside a 'prolific upskirter' caught filming women as they queued to use the toilet in Soho.

Two other men were arrested over mobile phone thefts by undercover officers at the same Leicester Square ice rink, with members of the force conducting searches finding several stolen phones - one of which was returned to its owner.

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It comes amid sky-high levels of phone thefts across the capital, with snatchers on e-bikes regularly seen frequenting London's Tottenham Court Road.

Covert officers also arrested a suspect for an upskirting offence after a man was caught standing behind two women and filming their buttocks as they waited for the bathroom in a coffee shop. After seizing the man’s phone, officers discovered a significant number of similar videos taken around London.

Superintendent Natasha Evans, who led the Met’s operation in London’s West End, said: “This operation shows that targeting prolific offenders in crime hotspots works.

“Our intelligence-led approach means we’re solving twice as many shoplifting cases and taking hundreds of offenders off the streets.

“Through this intensified action, we are continuing to ensure the West End remains a safe and welcoming place for residents, businesses and the millions of visitors who come here each month.

“We’re doubling down before Christmas, as the West End enters one of its busiest periods. Local officers, specialist teams and tech such as Live Facial Recognition will focus on the areas with the most crime to keep driving numbers down.

“Our officers continue to tackle crimes that matter most to Londoners through highly visible, intelligence-led policing that builds trust in our communities.”

Between April 1 and October 29, officers achieved reductions in several types of crime in the West End compared to the same period last year, including a 22.3% reduction in knife crime and a 23.7% fall in theft from a person.