Met launches new community crime-fighting strategy

The Metropolitan Police has launched a new plan to further reduce crime, improve public trust and focus resources on the most dangerous offenders.

Launched yesterday, A New Met for London: Phase 2 sets out a blueprint for policing the capital over the next three years. The plan reinforces the Met’s commitment to “More Trust, Less Crime, and High Standards”, with precision community crime-fighting remaining central to its approach.

The Met said Phase 1 of the strategy, introduced in 2023, has already produced strong results on issues that matter most to Londoners. These include:

• More than 1,000 additional arrests each month
• Neighbourhood crime down 15%, supported by 500 extra officers and staff in community teams
• Violence-related injuries lower than in any other major UK city
• Homicides at a five-year low
• Twice as many crimes solved relating to violence against women and girls
• Public trust rising, with 74% of Londoners now saying they trust the Met

Officials say the next phase will build on these gains while pushing further to make the Met the “best possible local police service for Londoners”.

Tackling illegal e-bikes and e-scooters

A key part of the new strategy involves intensified action on the illegal use of e-bikes and e-scooters, which police say continue to fuel offences such as phone snatching and antisocial behaviour.

Commander Neerav Patel, who is leading the Met’s crackdown, said officers are responding directly to public concerns. “We are listening to Londoners’ concerns about how e-bikes and e-scooters are being used to commit offences,” he said. “That’s why we are ramping up action and increasing the roll-out of specialised operations across our neighbourhoods.”

Patel said the Met will take an intelligence-led approach to identify hotspots, arrest offenders and remove unlawful vehicles from the streets. “We are not starting from scratch. Through precision-led policing, we have already seized more than 2,500 illegal e-bikes and e-scooters in the last year,” he added.

As part of the wider drive to make officers more accessible, the Met has also launched Met Engage, a new two-way digital tool designed to help Londoners connect with local officers, share concerns and receive targeted updates for their areas.

The refreshed plan outlines several priority areas, including:

• Reducing neighbourhood crime and antisocial behaviour
• Cutting serious violence, especially gun and knife crime
• Expanding technology to identify and target the most harmful offenders
• Increasing officer visibility, accessibility and responsiveness
• Improving support and outcomes for victims
• Strengthening partnerships with communities
• Reducing bureaucracy to free officers for frontline work

‘Our journey is far from over’

Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said Londoners’ priorities had shaped the new plan, emphasising that both community-level issues and serious crimes remain central to the Met’s mission.

“Londoners are at the heart of everything we do,” he said. “Phase 1 of our plan has already delivered real results. Public trust is rising. We’ve driven down neighbourhood crime by 15 per cent. We are arresting more male predators of women and children. Homicide is at a record low and injuries from violence are lower than in any other large British city.”

He continued: “I’m proud of the progress we’ve made, but our journey is far from over. Communities have told us they value highly visible, locally focused policing, and that’s exactly what we will continue to provide. Over the next three years, we will build on these successes as we make the Met the most trusted and effective local police service for Londoners.”

Expanding technology to boost precision policing

A significant part of Phase 2 includes greater use of technology and data to target the most dangerous individuals.

The Met confirmed plans to expand live facial recognition across every borough, focusing deployments in crime hotspots. Since 2024, more than 1,000 wanted criminals—including rapists, violent robbers and paedophiles—have been arrested using the technology.

The service will also begin investing in first-responder drones stationed across London, providing rapid aerial intelligence to officers heading to incidents. These drones are expected to improve situational awareness, officer safety and decision-making.

In addition, the Met will strengthen its data-driven work to target men who commit violence against women and girls, expanding the model to identify the most violent and prolific offenders across all crime types.

---

To read similar articles, check out our Frontline channel