Met arrests 243 people in knife crime crackdown

A Met Police operation targeting the most dangerous knife crime offenders in the capital has seen 243 people arrested and 159 knives seized.

The two-week crackdown – part of Operation Sceptre – saw officers trial a new data-led approach to identify the highest priority suspects. It was directly responsible for 88 of the 243 arrests.

Officers and analysts brought together information and intelligence held on a number of Met systems to identify those offenders who posed the highest risk of harm to Londoners.

A similar approach has been used to great effect in recent years as part of the Met’s V100 programme targeting offenders who pose a threat to women and girls. This is the first time it has been used against knife crime suspects.

Having been identified, high harm offenders were targeted either in relation to their suspected role into previous incidents or as part of proactive interventions to find and seize dangerous knives that might otherwise have been used to commit serious violence.

The remainder of the arrests were the result of extensive proactivity across London led by local policing teams. Officers targeted known gang members, deployed in uniform and plainclothes in areas known for violent crime, carried out weapon sweeps and targeted those selling the knives both in person and online.

Stop and search played a big part in the proactive operation, with 77 stops leading to knives being recovered and arrests being made.

Knife test purchase operations were carried out at 72 shops to identify those involved in the sale of illegal knives, or the sale of knives to people under 18.

Commander James Conway, the Met’s frontline policing lead, said:

“Tackling knife crime remains one of our top priorities and through interventions like Operation Sceptre, we’re making real progress.

“By being proactive and directing our resources at those who pose the greatest risk, we have driven knife-enabled crime down by 17 per cent in a year. We’re not complacent and are determined to reduce it even further.

“243 arrests in two weeks is a significant achievement. It's a 67 per cent increase compared to the last time Op Sceptre ran in November 2025.

“That progress can be credited in part to the use of technology to bring intelligence and information together to allow us to intervene more precisely, but also to changes we’ve made to how we deploy proactive policing teams in their local areas where they can have a greater impact on the crimes blighting communities.

“The 159 knives seized is 69 higher than in November. It adds to the more than 3,000 weapons officers removed from the streets last year.

“Too often we see the devastating impact of senseless violence involving knives, including the impact it has not just on families who lose loved ones but on entire communities. Every knife removed and every suspect arrested has the potential to prevent serious harm or save a life.”

We urge communities to continue supporting officers by reporting the crimes that matter most to them. This can be done by calling 101, or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Always call 999 in an emergency. 

Notes to editors running order on video:

+ Officers arrest a man for zombie knife found in his waistband – Harefield, Hillingdon

+ Targeted stop and search results in an arrest as officers find a knife on the suspect - Delafield Road, Greenwich

+ 16-year-old boy arrested as officer found a knife in his rucksack – Bayham Place, Camden

+ Officers find suspect hiding behind a bush and arrest him for possession of two knives -Oakley Drive, Bexley

+ Officer purse and arrest 17-year-old boy for robbery and possession of a knife – Bush Hill Park – Enfield

+ Pursuit of 16-year-old boy leads to an arrest for possession of a knife (Suspect throws knife in construction site during chase) - Grouse Way, Enfield

+ Vehicle stop leads to the arrest of a man found with a flick knife and class A drugs - Gilmore Road, Lewisham

+ Boy arrested for possession of a knife after stop and search by officers - Appleby Gardens, Hounslow