Police Claim Success for Festive Crime Crackdown in Chiswick
Prolific local offenders arrested and sentenced
High visibility patrols on the High Road to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG)
Chiswick’s Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) has outlined a series of arrests and enforcement actions carried out over the festive period as part of ongoing efforts to reduce crime in the area.
In a New Year update to residents, the team said officers had been “hard at work throughout December” tackling repeat offenders, shoplifting, vehicle crime and violence against women and girls.
Among the cases highlighted was the arrest of a homeless man who is subject to a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) banning him from entering religious premises because of previous conduct. Police worked closely with local churches after further incidents were reported. The man was arrested for breaching the order and has been remanded in prison ahead of sentencing.
Officers also dealt with a prolific shoplifter who had previously been moved out of Chiswick after police action last year. He was identified as a suspect in around £1,000 worth of shoplifting offences, arrested and remanded in custody. Police have applied for a new Criminal Behaviour Order, with a court hearing due later this month.
In separate incidents, officers arrested three individuals for breaching sentence conditions, including one linked to a burglary offence. All three were remanded and sent to court.
In the run-up to Christmas, the Chiswick NPT led a Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) operation on a Friday evening, involving high-visibility patrols, plain-clothes behaviour detection officers and a crime prevention stall outside Marks & Spencer. Officers handed out anti-spiking drink covers and advice, while licensing officers visited local pubs to ensure staff were trained in spotting signs of spiking and familiar with the Ask for Angela scheme.
During the operation, officers spotted two men wearing balaclavas riding a high-powered e-bike, who were suspected of preparing to snatch mobile phones. With help from a member of the public, police stopped and searched the pair. While there were insufficient grounds for arrest, officers determined the e-bike was classed as a motorcycle, and the rider will be summonsed to court for driving offences.
As part of Operation Automotive, targeting vehicle crime hotspots, officers on a plain-clothes patrol spotted two men on high-powered e-bikes wearing balaclavas and shining torches into parked cars. One escaped, but the other was detained after a struggle as he attempted to flee on what police said was a 62mph e-bike. He was arrested on suspicion of going equipped to steal and for driving offences, with enquiries ongoing.
Police also provided an update on a shoplifting case from earlier in the year involving a man and woman stopped in an alleyway in Chiswick while removing security tags. Officers recovered more than £2,000 worth of stolen clothing from a High Road shop. While the woman received a suspended sentence, the male defendant was later brought back before the courts. Darren Stevenson, 48, from Isleworth, was sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Sgt O’Donnell of the Chiswick Neighbourhood Policing Team said the result sent “a clear message to other shoplifters that we will arrest and pursue them through the courts”.
He added that the team would continue in the new year to target key crime types and repeat offenders, with the aim of making Chiswick as safe a place to live as possible.
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