Boys, 14, held for gun offences in school swoop as Met launches crackdown on gang crime

"Saving lives”: officers from Operation Sceptre search the Tulse Hill Estate
David Churchill27 October 2016
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Two 14-year-old boys have been arrested at school for suspected firearms offences during a seven-day crackdown on gangs in which hundreds of Londoners were caught carrying or concealing weapons.

The pupils were held for possessing part of a handgun after it was detected by a knife arch at their Barnet secondary. They have been placed on bail.

Although the component was not in itself capable of firing, officers working with Scotland Yard’s Central Gangs Crime Command are investigating its origin and the whereabouts of any other parts. The arrests formed part of Operation Sceptre, a crackdown ending last Sunday, in which 242 offensive weapons — including 158 knives — were seized and 355 people arrested.

In the operation, which marks an escalation in the Yard’s war on weapons, officers searched public spaces on estates and areas known to be gang strongholds. Among the seized haul was a claw hammer stashed next to a children’s play area at Central Hill Estate and two rows of knives embedded in soil next to a public bench.

Officers say gangs stash weapons in a range of open spaces so they can return and arm themselves quickly in the event of turf wars or other confrontations. The figures give an insight into the number of weapons being hidden in public spaces. The majority of blades confiscated are standard kitchen knives but larger hunting knives and claw hammers were also found. Officers say Londoners as young as 11 are carrying knives, often after being bullied by senior gang members.

The operation involved teams from across the Met conducting more than four sweeps every day in different boroughs. The Standard accompanied one sweep on the Tulse Hill Estate, where the TN1 (Tell No one), 81 and 86 gangs are known to operate.

Officers probed bushes, drain covers, high ledges, grassy verges, trees, dustbins at the foot of rubbish chutes in housing blocks, public benches and a children’s play area. Search dogs and specialist equipment, including camera probes attached to the end of a flexible wire able to be inserted into cavities of buildings, were employed.

Among the tactics used by gangs is to plant the blade of a knife in soil, within the bark of a tree or foliage in a hedge with only the handle protruding, so no light is reflected. They are also known to mark trees or other natural landmarks to let fellow gang members know where weapons are stashed.

Inspector Jack Rowlands, from the Central Gangs Crime Command, part of the Met’s Trident gangs unit, said Operation Sceptre was about “saving lives”. He added: “If they go to a place they thought a weapon was stashed and it’s not there, it takes away that opportunity to use it in that moment. A knife we have taken off the street has the potential to save a life.”

Officers say many gangs are “organised, mafia-style organisations with proper structures and hierarchies” where hundreds of thousands of pounds are at stake in drug money and other illegal activities. Figures show 3,870 people suffered knife injuries in the capital in the 12 months to August this year, a rise of 4.3 per cent on the previous 12-month period.

But Home Office minister Sarah Newton, who accompanied the Standard, said Office for National Statistics figures released last week showed overall knife crime — which can include blade offences without injury — had dropped two per cent in London. Officers say most young knife carriers do so because they feel the need to protect themselves or because they are bullied into holding them for leading gang members.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in