So far eight people have been arrested for a variety of offences

Brent Police have carried out dawn raids on 10 addresses in the borough as part of a London-wide clampdown on suspected thieves and those handling stolen goods.

So far officers have made eight arrests in Brent for possession of drugs, burglary and handling stolen goods and more are expected throughout the day.

The day of action across all 32 boroughs in London is part of the Met’s efforts to drive down personal thefts and promote crime prevention awareness amongst the public.

High visibility patrols are taking place across the city in key areas to let Londoners know what the Met is doing to tackle the problem.

Officers will also be carrying out street briefings, high visibility and plain clothes patrols in robbery hot spots, weapon sweeps, licensing checks and knife arch operations.

They will also carry out spot checks and give advice to pawn shops and other stores where thieves may try to sell on stolen goods.

In addition, a series of crime prevention events at transport hubs and shopping centres will be taking place where the public will be advised on how to keep their valuables safe and reminded to register the unique IMEI number of their mobile phones.

Commander Stephen Watson, who is leading today’s operation, said:

“Crimes like burglary, robbery and theft have a huge impact on the people who are victims. By targeting those people responsible, plus the networks they use to sell on stolen property or trade for drugs, we aim to make our streets a hostile place for them to operate.”

The video clip shows how quickly thieves can strike.

For more crime prevention advice visit www.met.police.uk.