Polish police join London immigrant crime crackdown

Operation Nexus squad. Photo: Met Police

Three Polish and eight Romanian officers have been deployed for the two-year project, which is part of the the Metropolitan Police's Operation Nexus.

By law, the officers will not have the power to carry out arrests but they will take part in raids, as well as interviews of suspects.

The new arrivals will be focusing on tracking down Polish and Romanian nationals who have jumped bail, combating organised crime groups, as well as cases involving people trafficking, prostitution and violent offenders.

“These countries have taken a bold and positive step in agreeing to take part in an initiative to work with the Met to help us tackle foreign offenders that are in the UK and help us better support victims of crime,” Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley told the Evening Standard Paper.

He said that the new squad's role “will grow as they settle and we identify opportunities to maximise their effectiveness.”

About 28 percent of annual arrests in London are of foreign nationals.

Polish Ambassador in London Witold Sobkow told the Daily Express that “we are happy to support this project that might improve police co-operation in the area of the safety and security of London's international communities.”

Operation Nexus has been provided with a 1.5 million grant by the EU.

In two months, the UK relaxes its border regulations for Romanian and Bulgarian citizens. Although the two countries joined the EU in 2005, restrictions were placed on the number of immigrants, however, from the beginning of 2014, 'free movement' will be introduced. (nh)