Thieves travelling around London to commit crime were targeted in a day-long operation by the Metropolitan, Essex and Kent Police last week.

In Waltham Forest seven arrests were made on Wednesday under Operation Lockdown.

Two people were detained for immigration offences, two for possession of Class B drugs, disqualified driving, ABH and theft of motor vehicle.

During the operation officers from Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Newham, and other boroughs were out in force to disrupt travelling criminals and prevent cross-border crime.

Working alongside Kent and Essex police, officers used Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to identify vehicles driven by suspected criminals.

Officers carried out a total of 482 stops, 99 searches and seized 26 vehicles for a variety of motoring offences.

A total of 19 drug seizures were also made.

Temporary Detective Superintendent Kevin Baldwin, from Waltham Forest Borough, who co-ordinated the operation, said that the police are ‘determined’ to stop criminals using the road networks for crime.

He said: "Operations like this ensure that we can stop and effectively disrupt these individuals and prevent their movement across London and into neighbourhood counties.”