Met officers have arrested four suspected drug dealers as part of work to tackle serious and organised crime in Whitechapel.
The men were arrested on Wednesday, 19 March as part of an investigation into drug supply around Altab Ali Park. They remain in custody. Officers also recovered Class A drugs.
Detective Superintendent Vicky Tunstall, the Met’s neighbourhood policing lead for Tower Hamlets, said:
"Tackling drug supply is a priority for us as we know it's often linked to other offences such as robbery and violent crime. By taking targeted action, we aim to reduce offending and improve the quality of life for residents, businesses, and visitors.
"Today's operation followed months of planning by local officers, who have been listening to people in Whitechapel to understand what matters most to them.
"Across the Met, we are focused on tackling the crimes that matter most to communities to reduce offending and improve neighbourhoods."
Altab Ali Park has a rich history and cultural significance within Tower Hamlets and the aim is to return it to a location for residents, businesses and visitors by reducing crime and anti-social behaviour.
The work with Tower Hamlets Council is helping to counter gang activity using a range of tactics, such as police and council enforcement officer patrols, as well as engagement with community members and local businesses.
Also on Wednesday, the Met and the council held a joint event at Altab Ali Park to update the community on the work taking place. Targeted action has led to a significant reduction in violent crime and drug offences. Working together we have achieved the following results since last November in Altab Ali Park and the surrounding roads:
- Seven drugs lines shut down
- 38 arrests
- 134 stop and searches
- Neighbourhood crime slashed by 60 per cent
- Knife crime down by 20 per cent
- Offences involving violence down by 32 per cent
- Large amounts of Class A drugs off the streets
- £500k of illicit cash seized
Cllr Abu Talha Choudhury, Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, said:
"Improving community safety is one of the main concerns expressed to us by many residents, which is why we're investing £8m to make our borough a safer space. Our Anti-Crime Task Force provides a new collaborative community safety model for us to work in partnership with the police to address these issues.
“This work aims not only to tackle organised crime around Altab Ali Park but also to ensure this remains a space residents can enjoy. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of the police, council-funded police officers and Tower Hamlets Enforcement officers, we are already beginning to see positive results.”
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Improved neighbourhood policing was one of the reasons the Met was removed from special measures. His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services also praised improvements to call handling, child exploitation, and public protection.
Posted on Thursday 20th March 2025