A police raid on a shop suspected of selling stolen goods led to officers arresting an alleged sex offender.
Acting on intelligence, south east officers went to the New Cross Road business on Thursday, 18 January, and while inspecting the premises, discovered a haul of suspected stolen items. They seized them along with £15,000 in cash.
The teams, who were all from safer neighbourhood patrols and licensing teams across Lewisham, arrested a man on suspicion of handling stolen goods and he was taken into custody. He was then arrested on suspicion of money laundering.
Whilst in custody, officers learned that he was a man who had been accused of a string of non-recent sexual assaults on girls aged under 13. They alerted the child abuse investigation team, who had been investigating the allegations, who further arrested him for suspected sexual offences.
DC Mara Phipps, who works in a Lewisham child protection team, said: “Protecting women and children is a key priority for the Met, and we investigate incredibly complex and sad crimes.
“Our team pour their heart and soul into working with victims in order to get them the justice they deserve.”
Acting Inspector Ryan West, who leads one of the teams who carried out the initial inspection, said: “This operation was a direct result of local officers acting upon intelligence received from the community which has led to further arrests for multiple offences. This shows the importance of community policing.
“We are working hard to act on issues we know worry our neighbourhoods, and are using data and insight to precisely target where the problems are.”
