Officer stabbed in leg during Met's 17-arrest organised-crime dawn raids
A Metropolitan Police officer was stabbed in the leg during dawn raids across five counties that led to 17 arrests in an organised-crime investigation; his injuries are not life-changing.
A police officer was stabbed in the leg during a series of dawn raids in which the Metropolitan Police arrested 17 people in an investigation into a suspected organised crime group.
More than 800 officers took part in the operations in the early hours of Tuesday 29 September, raiding 24 properties across London, Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, the force said. Searches were continuing at a number of the properties, with a police presence expected for some days.
The officer was stabbed while carrying out a warrant at an address in Cockfosters, Barnet. He was treated at the scene by colleagues and paramedics before being taken to hospital, where his injuries were assessed as non-life-changing, the Met said.
A 56-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm in relation to the stabbing, alongside other alleged offences including participating in the activities of an organised crime group and money laundering, the Met said.
The arrests — 15 men aged between 26 and 65 and two women aged 31 and 41, according to PA Media — are the product of many months of investigation by specialist Met detectives working alongside HM Revenue and Customs and the Financial Conduct Authority, whose officers are supporting the searches.
The FCA has disrupted seven firms and is actively pursuing a further 30 as part of the wider operation.
“These arrests mark a significant point in this investigation,” a Met spokesperson said. “Those arrested are suspected of leading or being involved at a senior level in serious and organised crime and related financial offending.”
UPDATE: Flip News reported the 17 arrests on Tuesday; the officer’s stabbing and injury details were not covered in that report.
More on this topic: all UK Broadband stories
