Sex offender arrested following crackdown on gangs (From Wandsworth Guardian)

Sex offender arrested following crackdown on gangs

3:05pm Friday 24th August 2012 in News By Alexandra Rucki

Police arrested 21 people, including a sex offender, following a crackdown on gangs.

Operation Pegasus saw drugs dog units from The Metropolitan Police set up in Clapham Junction and Tooting Bec train and Tube stations from 7pm until 1am on Thursday, August 23, with police officers carrying out weapons screening at knife arches.

Number plate recognition units were set up in Wandsworth and Battersea, while a custody suite was set up in Battersea to speed-up searches.

There were 192 vehicles stopped and 13 seized, while a serial sex offender wanted in connection with sexual assault was arrested.

Two gang members were also arrested and a man in possession of an offensive weapon.

There were also seven arrests for drugs, two drivers were disqualified and 21 cannabis warnings were handed out.

Detective Superintendent Eric Phelps said: "We know that criminals use these key transport routes to travel to other parts of London to commit crime, so we employed a range of tactics to target, tackle and deter gang related offending.

"This operation aimed to deny offenders the use of the roads and other transport routes, seize any weapons or drugs being carried, as well as increase our intelligence on their activities. It is part of our continuing total war on crime."