Eight arrested over conspiracy to destroy London's Ulez cameras
The arrests, which include six men and two women, followed a co-ordinated operation by the force. All eight individuals are suspected of conspiracy to commit criminal damage. One of the men is also alleged to have been involved in threatening and harassing a team sent to repair a damaged camera.
The Met made the arrests at addresses in London, Windsor and on the Isle of Sheppey in the early hours of Wednesday.
The London arrests took place in Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northwood, Sutton and Eltham.
Those arrested remain in custody.
Searches are ongoing at the addresses but officers say they have already recovered items related to the alleged offending.
Superintendent Paul Thomas, of the Met's Roads and Transport Policing Command, said: 'There is a big difference between lawful protest and plotting to destroy or seriously damage property.
'Some may think of this sort of behaviour as a victimless crime, but when cameras are damaged or destroyed it creates dangerous hazards, risking collisions on the road in addition to disruption for motorists and residents.
'We take these offences very seriously and officers will continue working closely with Transport for London and other partners to identify and build a case against those responsible.
'Today's arrests are a significant development in what has been a long and complex investigation that is not yet over.
'I would appeal to anyone who has information about plans to target Ulez cameras to come forward.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
29 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Parliamentary privilege allows pro-Palestine Action MPs to voice support
MPs who voice support for Palestine Action in the Commons will be shielded from prosecution under terror laws by parliamentary privilege. Parliamentary convention dictates that no MP can be prosecuted for anything they say in the Commons chamber, Westminster Hall or formal committee of the House even if they voice support for a proscribed organisation such as Palestine Action. It also protects MPs from being sued for defamation or libel. It means any MP will be free to support or even encourage backing for Palestine Action, even though saying it outside the Commons would leave them liable for up to 14 years in prison. Nine Labour MPs were among the 26 members who voted against the Government's move to ban Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, putting it on a par with Hamas, al-Qaeda and Islamic State. The group of Labour MPs included Diane Abbott, the veteran Left-winger, Clive Lewis and Richard Burgon, who served in Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet. Mr Corbyn, who sits as an independent, also voted against proscribing Palestine Action, along with fellow independent John McDonnell, his former shadow chancellor. The Commons voted by 385 to 26 in favour of proscribing Palestine Action. On Thursday, the Lords backed it without a vote. A so-called regret motion proposed by a Green Party peer criticising the measure was rejected by 144 votes to 16. It is unclear when the ban, which needs final sign-off by the Home Secretary, will come into force as the group is mounting a court challenge to temporarily block the move with a hearing scheduled on Friday, pending further proceedings. Two planes were vandalised at RAF Brize Norton on June 20 causing £7 million worth of damage, in an action claimed by Palestine Action. Four people have been charged by counter-terrorism police over the incident and were remanded in custody following a court appearance. Commons officials confirmed that any MP speaking in support of the group would be exempt from prosecution under parliamentary privilege. Guidance for MPs states: 'This allows you to speak up on behalf of constituents, express an opinion, or condemn corruption, malpractice or even criminal activity without fear of legal action, as long as you do so in proceedings of the House. 'This protection extends to written proceedings: for example, written and oral questions, motions, early day motions, and amendments tabled to bills and motions. 'Anyone giving evidence to a committee of the House also has this protection, which is a safeguard for witnesses and also ensures that select committees are not obstructed in their inquiries by threats of legal action, or any other kind of threat against witnesses.' Lord Hanson of Flint, the Home Office minister, said: 'I will always defend the right of British people to engage in legitimate and peaceful protest and to stand up for the causes in which they believe. 'But essential as these rights are, they do not provide a blank cheque for this particular group to seriously damage property or subject members of the public to fear and violence. We would not tolerate this activity from organisations if they were motivated by Islamist or extreme Right-wing ideology, and therefore I cannot tolerate it from Palestine Action. 'By implementing this measure, we will remove Palestine Action's veil of legitimacy, tackle its financial support, degrade its efforts to recruit and radicalise people into committing terrorist activity in its name.' However, Mr Corbyn warned that the ban would have a 'chilling effect' on protests, adding: 'Surely we should be looking at the issue that Palestine Action are concerned about, and the supply of weapons from this country to Israel, which has made all this possible. If this order goes through it will have a chilling effect on protests.'
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
The new secret weapon nailing dangerous criminals in the street including sick paedo who befriended family
AT first glance, it looks like just another white van parked up by the side of the road. But the unremarkable Iveco truck is a secret weapon for cops in their drive to nail dangerous fugitives. 7 7 7 Covered in cameras, it houses a bank of screens and hi-tech computer equipment — the centrepiece of a Met Police Live Facial Recognition (LFR) deployment. And it plays a crucial role in safeguarding children and the vulnerable from sex offenders, stalkers and violent criminals. Seven cameras perched on top of the vehicle constantly scan the pedestrians walking by — feeding the images into a computer which flags up suspects wanted by cops. It also looks out for people on the run or subject to court orders for a range of offences, including sex crimes, to ensure they have not committed any breach. Known haunts The Sun joined a Met Live Facial Recognition team on a deployment close to Upton Park station in London's East End — and I got to test out the kit. I handed over a copy of my Press card featuring my grisly mug, which was fed into the database alongside 16,000 genuine custody images of wanted criminals and those subject to court orders. It means that when I later come into view of the truck's cameras, alerts inside start going off like a pinball machine. My features registered a high score on the biometrics system, which works using facial measurements. Happily, the cops inside knew it was all for my report. Met Central Ops director Lindsey Chiswick says: 'If you're not subject to a current order or wanted for a criminal offence, then the tech will ignore you. It is taking some really dangerous people off the streets.' The LFR van at Upton Park was sitting close to a Greggs bakery — a famous target for shoplifters. One officer told me: 'Businesses love to see us turn up. Nobody will be shoplifting at Greggs here today.' New stats released today show 1,035 wanted criminals were arrested by the Met between January 1 and June 20 thanks to this new facial recognition kit. They included more than 100 offenders who carried out serious acts of violence such as rape, stalking and domestic abuse. Some 93 of them were registered sex offenders, including David Cheneler, 73, who was lagged up by LFR in Denmark Hill, South London, in January while walking with a six-year-old girl. Cheneler, who was jailed for nine years in 2019 for offences against children, had befriended the girl's mother on his release from prison and offered to pick the youngster up from school as a 'favour'. The mum had no idea of his appalling history. 7 Cheneler was found to have a knife when stopped by the LFR team — and checks revealed that he was in breach of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order stopping him from being alone with a child under 14. The paedophile, from Lewisham, South London, was sentenced to two years at Kingston Crown Court in May after admitting breaching the terms of his order and possessing an offensive weapon. Lindsey Chiswick says: 'The tech flagged him up. 'Without it, Cheneler would still be walking the streets.' A violent robber who targeted a Rolex watch, 22-year-old Adenola Akindutrie, had false ID documents and used a fake Irish accent on cops when he was flagged up by LFR in Stratford, East London, in April. People might age, put on weight or lose it, but they will still show up as certain facial features don't change a lot. Police officer He was arrested and fingerprints proved his identity. The villain is now behind bars awaiting sentence. Shoplifter Darren Dubarry, 50, was also caught on camera in May because he was wanted for theft — and found to be in possession of designer clothing he had stolen that same day. Eight arrests were made during the Upton Park deployment attended by The Sun last month, with 14 people stopped in total. A second LFR team operating that day in Tooting, South London, made two arrests. The NeoFace system checks 28 facial measurements, including eyes, nose, mouth and head size. 7 Each person is given a score, and the threshold for an alert is anything over 0.64. After I had my image added to the system, it clocked me instantly and I scored 1.47. If a person is of no interest, then the pixelated image caught on LFR is immediately deleted. Even though the vans themselves are inconspicuous, LFR vehicles have a sign on the back saying Live Facial Recognition in operation — and there are warning notices at either end of the recognition zones. If someone flags up on the system, an alarm in the vehicle is activated and the person is pulled aside. Sunglasses and baseball caps are no barrier to the technology. And if you are wanted for an offence and hoping fat jabs may have changed your features, then forget it. You will still be spotted. In general, around one in five of those serving protection orders is found to be in breach of their conditions and arrested on the spot. Intelligence reports on those stopped but not in breach go to offender managers to make them aware of the criminals' movements. The list of 16,000 subjects of interest in Upton Park is based on reports of their known haunts. An officer on the team, says: ' Criminals are transient, but it's possible some of the 16,000 could be in the area. 'Some of the custody images might be five years old, but we have even matched a custody image which was taken 24 years ago. 'People might age, put on weight or lose it, but they will still flag up because certain facial features don't change a lot.' The LFR system was first trialled by the Met in 2016 and by South Wales Police the following year. It is expanding across the country with eight forces having used it. Freedom of information data revealed LFR scanned 4.7million faces in England and Wales last year — twice the number in 2023. False alerts are rare — one in 33,000 — and officers provide a safeguard by making the ultimate decision on whether to stop someone. Civil liberties groups have raised fears of a Big Brother era being ushered in without legal checks and balances. However, 83 per cent of the public backs the system. 7
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Blood in every room of couple's west London flat, court told
Traces of blood were found in every room of a couple's home after they were killed, a court has heard. Jurors at Woolwich Crown Court were on Thursday shown evidence from the flat shared by Albert Alfonso, 62, and his partner Paul Longworth, 71, in Shepherds Bush, west London. Yostin Mosquera, 35, a Colombian national staying with the couple was in a sexual relationship with Mr Alfonso, the court has heard. He denies murdering both men in July White, a senior forensic investigator at the Metropolitan Police, told the jury she had observed blood staining - along with evidence of attempts to clean it up - in the couple's flat. This article contains material that some people may find distressing. Mr Mosquera is accused of killing Mr Longworth with a hammer on 8 July and hiding his body in a divan bed, before murdering Mr Alfonso by stabbing him to death during a recorded sex session later that day. Prosecution barristers also claim he dismembered their bodies and took them to Bristol's Clifton Suspension Bridge in an effort to dispose of the remains. Mosquera has admitted the manslaughter of Mr Longworth by way of loss of self-control. But the prosecution alleges Mr Mosquera caused Mr Longworth's death. Ms White told the court on Thursday blood staining had been found in one bedroom, likely to have come from a severed vein or artery of Mr said towels saturated with Mr Longworth's blood were found in the divan bed of his room. She also told the court traces of diluted blood had been found in the bathroom, as well as a number of bloodstained black latex gloves in a freezer in the hallway of the flat. Other bloodstained items were also found in the flat by investigators, including a hammer, white overalls and a Sainsbury's plastic bag, the hearing was told. The jury were also shown pictures of a silver suitcase they were told contained the human remains of Mr Longworth, captured by CCTV cameras on Clifton Suspension Bridge. Jurors were then shown an image from a webcam in Mr Alfonso's bedroom which appeared to show the same suitcase days earlier. Bodyworn footage from the first police officer to enter the couple's flat also shows an empty space where the same suitcase appeared previously, the court heard. The trial continues.
