Police swoop at dawn to arrest 17 across four counties in major crackdown against organised crime - as officer stabbed in the leg
An officer involved in the operation was stabbed in the leg while carrying out a warrant at an address in Cockfosters
Police have arrested 17 people in a major operation targeting a suspected organised crime group.
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More than 800 Metropolitan Police officers carried out dawn raids at 24 properties across London, Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk.
The force said the arrests were made during coordinated operations in the early hours of Tuesday.
An officer involved in the operation was stabbed in the leg while carrying out a warrant at an address in Cockfosters, Barnet.
He was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital where his injuries were assessed as non-life-changing, the force said.
The arrests follow an investigation by specialist Metropolitan detectives, who worked alongside HMRC and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Read more: Police swoop at dawn to arrest 17 in major crackdown on suspected crime gang
Searches are ongoing at a number of the properties and there is expected to be an ongoing police presence for some days.
As part of the wider operation, the FCA has disrupted seven firms and is actively pursuing a further 30.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “These arrests mark a significant point in this investigation. Those arrested are suspected of leading or being involved at a senior level in serious and organised crime and related financial offending."
“We know the impact of serious and organised crime stretches well beyond those at senior levels of the organisations involved.
"Lines can often be drawn from the top, all the way to those involved in the criminality that blights communities, including serious violence and exploitation."
The arrests included 15 men aged between 26 and 65, and two women aged 31 and 41.
Twelve men and one woman were held on suspicion of participating in the activities of an organised crime group.
Other offences included money laundering, cheating the public revenue, false accounting, and conspiracy to commit GBH.
A 56-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of GBH over the stabbing.
The force added: “Investigating these groups is among the most complex work the Met undertakes. It requires a significant investment of time and money and the expertise not just of specialist police officers but of colleagues from partner organisations like HMRC and the FCA.
“We hope these arrests show how determined we are to ensure organised crime groups cannot operate freely in London. We will work tirelessly to identify them, to gather evidence and to take action.”
A Financial Conduct Authority spokesperson said: “Tackling financial crime requires the type of partnership shown by today’s joint action and the many months of close cooperation leading to it.
“We’ll continue to work with the police and others to identify and disrupt organised crime groups who abuse our financial system to launder dirty money.”