AS PART of our continued war on crime, Brent officers last week took part in a day of action focusing on Operation Cubo.
This is the ongoing London-wide operation that targets uninsured drivers and criminals who use vehicles to travel around the city committing crime.
The operation saw Brent officers working with Safer Transport officers and other specialists and partners to target criminal activity.
We deployed a number of ANPR (Automatic number plate recognition) vehicles which are able to identify those who are driving without insurance or a driving licence, and also those who may be disqualified from driving.
ANPR is a key tool for police in the war against crime and allows us to better target those that are known or suspected committing motoring offences.
In addition, this tool also allows officers to identify criminals that use vehicles in the commission of their crimes. The operation led to 446 vehicles being stopped and checked by police officers and 14 uninsured vehicles being seized and taken off the road.
They have been impounded and will be crushed if the owners are unable to satisfy police that they will be used lawfully in the future. In addition to this, two Fixed Penalty Notices and one cannabis warning were issued and £700 in unpaid fines was recovered.
About 15 per cent of all crimes that are reported to police now involve a stolen mobile phone.
I would therefore ask everyone to please ensure that they record the IMEI numbers for their devices and keep them safe, so that if they do become a victim of crime they can pass this information to the police.
We recover many stolen phones each day but because we do not have IMEI numbers from victims we are not able to prosecute offenders or return the phone to the rightful owners.
Another fantastic tool in the fight against mobile phone, tablet, and laptop theft is the use of tracker apps on these devices. It is therefore really important that if you own a smartphone, tablet, or laptops to install a suitable tracker app on your device if you are able to do so. In the last fortnight we have had some extremely good results as a result of such apps; we have recovered stolen phones and computers, and arrested the suspect.
One more tool in our arsenal has been the use of trap cars, which have a valuable item placed in them and a range of electronic surveillance equipment to record, trap, or trace the thief. They are placed in Brent in accordance with crime trends and intelligence.
Some of our trap cars are fitted with Smartwater, a liquid that forensically links the criminal to the scene of the crime.
Last week we had our first bite on a Smartwater trap car when a vehicle was broken into in Willesden and a laptop stolen from it. The suspect was tracked and the following day arrested in Holloway, in possession of the laptop. He admitted theft from motor the vehicle and is awaiting sentencing.
Finally, I would like to tell you about an example of the bravery and tenacity of the officers working in Brent. Two PCs from Tokyngton Safer Neighbourhood Team, PC Matt Irvine and PC Rose Shepherd, saw a known burglar Patrick Moorehouse in the driver’s seat of a parked car in the car park of a local hotel.
Moorehouse , 20, of Edison Drive, Wembley, was on bail at the time, with conditions including a curfew.
PC Irvine recognised Moorehouse and was aware that he was in breach of his bail conditions, so he went over to speak to him. As he did so, Moorehouse started the engine and reversed the car towards the officer at speed.
He side swiped PC Irvine, knocking him backwards; PC Irvine managed to remain on his feet, minimizing the injuries to him. PC Shepherd managed to get out of the way and called for additional assistance.
Moorehouse then crashed into three other parked vehicles, got out, and tried to run away.
Despite his injuries, PC Irvine gave chase and successfully detained Moorehouse in the car park. Moorehouse then threatened to stab him with a needle, but the two officers managed to overpower him and he was handcuffed.
Moorehouse was charged with dangerous driving, driving without a licence, driving without insurance, a public order offence, and failure to attend a drugs assessment.
He was kept in custody and went to court the next day where he received six months imprisonment and a two-year ban from driving.
This incident could quite easily have resulted in the death or serious injury of a young police officer, but shows the level of dedication and professionalism of the officers working in Brent.
Despite his injuries, PC Irvine was back at work the next day to perform his duties policing the streets of Brent.
As ever, if you have any information on crime matters, we will act. You can call us on Crimestoppers (0800 555 111), 101, or your local Safer Neighbourhood Team Teams accessed via the Met Police Website (www.met.police.co.uk). In an emergency, call 999.
For daily updates and information about what is happening in Brent, you can follow us on Twitter at @MPSBrent.
