Operation Martello

Good afternoon All,

I would like to provide you with an update in relation to an ongoing Operation that Mitcham SNT are running, called Operation Martello.

Operation Martello seeks to increase the Police presence and productivity in Mitcham, with a specific focus on Mitcham town centre to reduce your crime and ASB concerns. 

Last week, as part of the Operation, your neighbourhood Officers teamed up with colleagues from the Roads and Transport command to focus on the roads in and around Mitcham to improve road safety, as well as our ongoing commitment to locate and arrest offenders.

The coordinated activity across the three days included high visibility patrols in the town centre, as well as wider patrols in Police vehicles across the wider Mitcham area, encompassing the seven wards of Figges Marsh, Cricket Green, Pollards Hill, Colliers Wood, Graveney, Longthornton and Lavender Fields. 

In total, we arrested 10 people, conducted 8 stop searches, seized 6 weapons and reported 8 people for driving offences, which included the seizure of 8 vehicles (including x4 E-Scooters and x1 E-Bike).

One of the arrests, led to an incident whereby the offender scaled a roof top and so many of you may have seen some heightened Police presence on Thursday 4th September around Sadler Close. I can thankfully report that the male was eventually safely detained without coming to any harm.

A separate arrest involved a male who was driving whilst disqualified and was under the influence of alcohol. The risks associated with this type of offence are all too clear too see and can have serious and even fatal consequences to others.

Another arrest involved a female driving a vehicle, which when searched uncovered a number of offensive weapons inside. The importance of removing weapons from our streets cannot be understated and clearly goes someway to prevent serious harm.

As many of you know, our commitment to Community Crime Fighting in Merton is unrelenting and I wanted to share with you all some of the coordinated work being carried out in Mitcham to hopefully reassure you that we are listening to your concerns and taking appropriate action.

Please continue to report crime to the Police.

All the best

Inspector Kev Chambers