The Met Police have been slammed for their ‘invasive’ policing after officers took to the streets of London to carry out random drugs swabs on clubbers during a ‘week of action’ tackling violence against women.
Officers filmed footage and posted it to social media. The area saw an uptake in the number of incidents where female and male victims felt unsafe.
According to the force, the operation of the night only saw one. After being observed putting together a suspicious package, a woman was arrested for suspected possession of Class-A drugs.
The Met’s “week of action” saw 55 arrests. This included security patrols during night and drug swabbing, as well as targeting predatory behavior outside schools. It ran from December 6-12.
But social media users have criticised officers for randomly swabbing clubsbers. Others described it as “extremely invasive.”
Officers talked with revellers in Shoreditch (London) during the Met Police’s “week of action” to tackle violence against women or girls
Today’s footage posted by the force to social media showed officers walking through London, swabbing with clubbers and taking photos.
One individual wrote, “Is this evidence that the nighttime economy is safer for everyone?”
While another commented: ‘I’m not sure I like the intrusion into civil liberties here. Do you give your resources to criminal supply? You also need to test for alcohol which, although it is legal, causes greater public disorder.
“Do you believe this approach to policing will be successful in winning over the communities?”
Another person added: ‘What does ”ensure the night time economy is a safe place for all” mean? It seems extremely intrusive to randomly sweep members of the public.
A social media user remarked, “What legal basis did you use to do this?” Participant consent? Is this consent? If yes, how did it affect your expectations of what you would achieve from the agreement?
After sharing the footage on social media the Met Police said taskforce officers came together to work in areas which have seen a spike in incidents where women and girls have been made to feel unsafe or have been victims of crime.
A statement read: ‘The video posted by the Met on social media was filmed in Shoreditch during a ‘week of action’ supporting women’s safety between Monday, 6 and Sunday, 12 December 2021.
‘The upsurge in activity included safety patrols of the night time economy, as well as tackling unlicensed minicabs, and attending schools and to speak to staff and students.
“Officers from the Met joined forces to address areas that have experienced a rise in cases where women or girls feel unsafe or are victims of crime. And we now know that Class A drugs can be linked to serious crimes and the violence in London’s streets.
These types of offenses have been at the forefront in ‘Shoreditch.
Safety patrols were conducted by Taskforce officers and clubbers were swabbed to create a safe ‘nighttime economy.
In order to detect if a person is present on a surface, the drug itemiser machine used by the police was identical to those at airports.
‘On this occasion, police worked with two licensed premises in Curtain Road EC2A, with the consent of the licenses, and authorised by the Met’s Licensing Unit, to run an operation utilising a drugs itemiser machine.
“The machine is similar to those at airports. It tests for presence on surfaces that have been swabbed (ie, hands).
“The chair of the independent advisory group in the area was invited to the event and was there to witness it.
“The machine use was an entry condition, and that condition was agreed to with licensees on that night. Anyone refusing was refused entry to venues on the night. Anyone who wanted to visit the venues was informed that the swabbing was optional.
“Refusal” does not necessarily mean the person will be searched according to S23 of The Misuse of Drugs Act.
The force added: ‘On the night, one woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of Class A drugs after being observed disposing of a suspicious package.
“This happened after she and a woman with whom she was in a relationship had reported a high level of Class A drug levels following the use of the drugs itemiser.
Social media users have since slammed officers for randomly swabbing clubbers, with some describing the operation as ‘incredibly invasive’
The Metropolitan Police stated last month that a One man was wanted for sexual harassment. Another for hitting a girl on a first date. These were just two of 55 arrests made during week-long action against violence against girls and women.
The Territorial Support Group (TSG) led officers to collaborate in areas that have experienced an increase in violence against girls and women.
Chief Inspector Grace Blake Turner from Met’s Taskforce stated: “We’ve witnessed some fantastic collaborative work this week, from all of the officers involved with this activity.
They have made some important achievements and removed some of the most dangerous criminals off the streets.
“Officers have taken people into custody for many offences,” said the report.
In addition to enforcing the law, officers spoke with women’s groups in order to discuss the problem of violence against girls and women.
The ‘Officers spoke at schools and universities about consent, sharing of private images and crime prevention.
“The Met takes predatory offenders seriously and removes them from London’s streets, these are the results of this week’s inspection.”
“This action won’t stop, because the week has come to an end.
“We will continue as we have done every day to make London an inhospitable environment for all those who seek violence against women or girls.
“I’d also like to express my gratitude for all the support we received from our partners this week. To understand the challenges of local schools and colleges and to work together to address this systemic problem, we have partnered with licensed venues, licensing agencies, and local councils.
“We are aware that women have concerns about their safety and we urge any person with questions or who has been a victim of a crime, to contact us.