Police in south west London have finished a month long operation to stop catalytic converter thefts in the area.

The aim of the operation, known as operation Ajax, was to reduce theft from vehicles, and to catch those who steal catalytic converters.

According to police, the operation resulted in a drop in catalytic converter thefts by 38 per cent, and a drop in theft from motor vehicle offences by 11 per cent in January.

The operation took place across Merton, Kingston, Wandsworth, and Richmond boroughs and includes an incident where officers reportedly recovered a Range Rover five minutes after being stolen.

There was also an arrest on possession with intent to supply drugs – where police say more than 50 bags of drugs were found along with a wad of cash.

In total, over the one month spanning January and February, police officers say the team undertook three moped pursuits, two vehicle pursuits, five arrests for a variety of offences, 26 stop and searches and 25 vehicle stops.

In Twickenham, police say the average police units were two minutes behind catalytic converter offences reported between 10pm to 8am during January and February.

According to police, Wandsworth had 108 incidents of theft from motor vehicles in January – not including April 2020, when the country was in lockdown, this is the lowest monthly figure for the borough since Feb 2015.

Officers from the Met in south west London said they were working day and night shifts in marked and unmarked police vehicles as part of operation Ajax.

Police in south west London have said they will continue working to prevent the theft of catalytic converters and any information from the public is an “important” part of assisting the work police do.