PICKPOCKETS have had their own collar felt on London’s buses in a swoop by cops. More than 1,000 arrests were made in an operation using high visibility patrols which targeted dips’ and anti-social yobs, City Hall revealed today

By Mike Brooke

PICKPOCKETS have had their own collar felt on London’s buses in a swoop by cops.

More than 1,000 arrests were made in an operation using high visibility patrols which targeted dips’ and anti-social yobs, City Hall revealed today.

The first phase of Operation Ridgeway’ saw up to 200 officers from the Met Police Transport Operational Command carrying out 500 arrests during the Halloween and Bonfire Night period in October-November. The second phase in December in the run up to Christmas led to another 600 arrests.

London Mayor Boris Johnson said today: “This operation made it exceedingly plain to pickpockets and the badly behaved that they are not tolerated on our buses. Passengers should not have to suffer mindless behaviour of the few.”

Officers and transport staff, who also carried out random checks to catch fare dodgers, gave out free anti theft’ chains to passengers which attach to purses to prevent pickpokets lifting’ them without alerting the owner.

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In a similar operation on the Isle of Dogs: Cops nab 11 yobs in crackdown on street hooligans