It’s no secret that Kilburn - as colourful as it may be - can be quite a daunting place at times due to notable troublemakers in the area.
Around 50 officers deployed across northwest London teamed up with Kilburn Police station last week to take part in Operation Terminos, a cross-borough scheme to reduce violence, robbery and burglary against Brent, Barnet, Harrow, Camden and Westminster.
Although the operation started in March 2023, Brent Inspector Yu Zhang told the Brent & Kilburn Times that the force was trying out an intensified approach for the first time between last Wednesday (April 8) to Saturday (April 11).
During the four-day operation, 45 arrests as police found over a thousand of stolen phones, found eight blades and seized drugs and illegal tobacco worth thousands.
I joined a team of officers to see just how effective the their efforts were.
Heavy police presence
It was clear just how many people were taken back and appreciative to see dozens of officers in action over the course of the four day period.
So much so that several videos began circulating online showing police seizing vehicles and many people in the area stood back recording what was happening.
While I followed police around on Friday (April 10), there were quite a few moments when members of the public came up to us telling us how it’s “good to see police for once” to prevent crime rather than react after a major incident takes place.
Another member of the public mentioned that owners of a parade of shops have been happy about the increased police visibility due to it acting as a deterrence to shoplifting.
But not only did it make feel people safer, it made a notable difference.
Five knives and three machetes were found as police patrolled and searched suspects who flagged up on CCTV or raised eyebrows while officers drove around.
Two of the machetes, more than 50cm in length, were seized in a barbershop in Kilburn High Road and resulted in two arrests.
As part of the efforts to take knives off the streets, knife arches were in place outside Kilburn station.
Insp Zhang showed me pictures of some of the large blades, explaining how simple searches for class B drugs like cannabis could often lead to weapons being found.
Almost immediately after police were deployed following a briefing on Friday, a van was seized containing around £3,000 of nitrous oxide (NOS).
As an officer showed me the stash, he explained while the suspect was not found, it kept these class C drugs from being distributed.
Major difference
The Metropolitan Police evidently seemed pleased with the results, after it initially sent out information to press shortly after 500 suspected stolen phones were retrieved from a shop in Kilburn.
However on Friday, Insp Zhang informed me that this number was actually way higher than initially thought - with 1,161 suspected mobiles found.
While Terminos was the main task over the few days, officers also conducted Operation Lexand, which targeted on illegally modified e-bikes and e-scooters, to target dangerous riding.
Within just 10 minutes of it starting on Friday, I saw two e-scooters were seized at a stop-site in place on Kilburn High Road.
Very quickly, even more began to pile up.
Some bikers tried speeding past and had to be forcefully grabbed and stopped by officers - and at least one was injured in the process.
According to the Met, 74 vehicles were seized and traffic stops resulted in three arrests.
Insp Zhang said: “We do have a lot of complaints about these e-bikes and illegal e-scooters.
“A lot of the time they are modified and going way too fast.
“So that’s our main purpose, to stop them and see these off the street.
“On top of that we do have a few minibus out looking to reduce violence, burglary and robbery and looking to catch criminals in the act.”
Compare to past
This isn’t my first time seeing Operation Terminos in action.
Last year, I similarly spent the day with Insp Zhang’s team to see the variety of methods used to catch criminals, including high-visibility patrols, plain clothed operations, coordinated warrants and live facial recognition technology.
Just before the end of last year, the Met said that total crime in Kilburn, Queens Park, Cricklewood & Mapesbury and Brondesbury wards was down more than nine per cent in 2025 compared to 2024.
Robbery, burglary and violence were down between 15 to 25 per cent in 2025 compared to the previous year.
However, gun incidents throughout Brent became an increasing concern.
“As part of Operation Terminos I’m trying to understand what drives crime in the first place,” explained Insp Zhang.
He continued: “We have a lot of different priorities and at times we don’t have the luxury of dealing with some of the lesser crimes or ASB issues which obviously includes people riding on footpaths or riding illegal e-scooters and e-bikes.
“However I’m aware to the general public this is a big deal to them and it affects the daily quality of life.
“Overall burglaries are about 40 per cent down in the last 12 months compared to when we first started, violence and burglary is slightly down.
“We are reducing crime, but we’re getting to the point where it’s difficult to reduce it further with the resources we have.
“So we need to switch up our tactics and understand what’s happening.”
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