Visa Overstayer Caught Picking Up a Takeaway — Police Collect Him Instead

The Piccadilly Gardens Neighbourhood Policing Team, working alongside Immigration Enforcement officers and colleagues from the City Centre Tasking Team, carried out a focused two-hour operation yesterday to tackle the illegal use of e-bikes and disrupt related criminality in the heart of Piccadilly Gardens.

The proactive deployment was launched in response to increased reports of e-bikes being used to facilitate crime, evade officers, and cause risk to the public. What unfolded was a highly productive period of enforcement, with every officer engaged from start to finish.

Over the course of the operation, seven illegal e-bikes were seized and four offenders were arrested, each linked to a separate incident of criminal behaviour:

Sgt Jon Wyatt, of the Piccadilly Gardens Neighbourhood Policing Team, praised the officers’ determination and teamwork, noting that the operation demonstrated the power of coordinated policing:

“This was a textbook example of what happens when neighbourhood officers, specialist teams, and our partners come together with a clear objective. The results speak for themselves. Sometimes in policing, you get moments of pure serendipity - you’re in the right place at the right time - but make no mistake: yesterday’s success came from planning, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to keeping the city centre safe.”

The operation forms part of an ongoing strategy to combat anti-social behaviour, safeguard law-abiding e-bike users, and prevent offenders from using the city’s busiest areas as a platform for crime.

Further deployments of this nature are planned for the coming weeks as the team continues its work to reassure the public and maintain a safe, welcoming environment in and around Piccadilly Gardens.