Police on foot patrol in Roehampton discovered a stolen van containing multiple weapons and a stolen bicycle on Sunday, disrupting what officers described as organised criminality.
The team was in Wanborough Drive after receiving a tip that a stolen van might be nearby. Inside, they found a black Ribble Ultraleggera bicycle (frame number FB20060890) and multiple weapons. Both were recovered.
PC Christopher Mageean said the haul had taken dangerous items off the streets. “These were all recovered by officers and are safely off the streets, disrupting the organized criminality this van will have been used for,” he told residents.
Police want to trace the bicycle’s owner. If you think it might be yours, or have any information, contact the team through MetEngage or call 101. The find is also a good reminder of why registering your bike on BikeRegister is worth doing, as a frame number on the database is often the only way a recovered bike can be returned to its owner.
Speeding charges
Across the borough in Thamesfield Ward, officers have been running enforcement against dangerous driving and speeding after residents named it as a policing priority. PC Damian Catherall, who patrols the ward on foot and by marked police bicycle, issued a traffic ticket to a man riding a hoverboard in Lacy Road and stopped a 12-year-old on an illegal electric scooter on the pavement. The boy’s mother collected him and the scooter.
Officers are also looking for a cargo bike rider reported speeding along the towpath between the Wetlands area near Putney Common and Putney Bridge, with a child in the carrier, and swearing at pedestrians when challenged. If you see this, report it through MetEngage or call 101.
The Thamesfield enforcement comes after a significant vehicle crime increase in the ward; residents reset their policing priorities in February in response. Residents across both wards can sign up for alerts from their local Safer Neighbourhoods Team at metengage.co.uk.
