Operation Condor is active in all 32 London boroughs as part of a crack-down on licensing issues in the capital.Condor was first launched in February and over two days 4,896 licensed premises were visited. These consisted of venues such as pubs, off-licences, cafes, shops, fast food outlets and entertainment venues. Some 658 breaches were identified and the operation resulted in 420 arrests, the Metropolitan Police reports.
This time the activity is a co-ordinated 48 hour operation across London to combat those who flout licensing rules including shops, pubs, clubs, unlicensed minicabs and others.
It started at 8am, on Friday 29 June and continued to the early hours of Saturday. It begans again at 8am on Saturday and ran until the early hours of Sunday 1 July.
In the first day of activity (Friday 29 June through to the early hours of Saturday 30 June), there were 2,525 licensed and unlicensed venues visited, and 327 offences reported or disclosed. There were 133 arrests.
Officers were on the look out for drug taking and other illegal activity inside pubs and checking that alcohol is sold and consumed in line with licensing laws. In shops and supermarkets, they are taking action against people selling alcohol, cigarettes and knives to children and those who have not checked correctly the history of second hand goods for sale. Driving licence fraud and taxi touts will also be targeted.
Commander Mak Chishty, leading the operation, said: “Operation Condor is back again and will continue to target those who flout licensing laws. Licensing laws are there for good reason, breaking them is not acceptable and is illegal. Those who break the laws harm our communities by selling knives, harmful substances or alcohol to young people will be targeted.
“We want to ensure that alcohol in our pubs and clubs is sold and consumed in a responsible way and on our roads vehicles, such as taxis are properly licensed and safe.
“This is why so many of my officers are out and busy stopping cars at transport hotspots to check for correct documentation, visiting newsagents, off-licences, supermarkets and betting shops to ensure and test licensing laws are being followed correctly. We are also targeting pubs and clubs to make sure they are strictly applying their permits.
“Licensing impacts upon everyday community life. The results of unlicensed activity on our streets can find the form of underage drinkers acting unsociably close to where we live, unlicensed mini-cabs endangering passengers by making uninsured journeys and also shops who potentially encourage the circulation of stolen items by not correctly checking the history of second hand goods offered for sale.
“These are just some small examples of why it is vital our officers continue to work with our partners to enforce licensing laws in all walks of life and in doing so protect people who live, work or travel in London safe from harm.
“Transport for London, local authorities and trading standards are some of the partners involved in the combined effort to increase public safety.”
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “Whether it’s unlicensed minicabs which endanger women, the illegal sale of alcohol or the selling of weapons to our young people, this immoral behaviour contributes to serious crime across London. That is why operations like this by the Met are so important and I hope this crackdown will be every bit as successful as past efforts.”
During the operation more than 1,500 officers from boroughs and specialist units were working on Operation Condor, using a range of tactics says the Met
More than 160 cadets were deployed on test purchase operations on off-licences across various boroughs. Any breaches have been dealt with primarily by local Trading Standards.
Counterfeit and non duty paid goods have been seized. These include 1000 counterfeit cigarettes, 50 Litres of counterfeit vodka in Forest Gate; 300 packs of chewing tobacco in Dagenham; and 250 cases of alcohol (non-duty paid) in Islington.
