A south London crackdown on violent crime has resulted in 154 arrests and the seizure of 29 knives from nearly 300 police stops.

Responding to a spate of unrelated stabbing in the area, the Met carried out additional patrols between February and April, deploying drug sniffing dogs and number plate recognition technology.

A total of 289 stops were carried out, leading to the arrest of 154 individuals for offences including possession of an offensive weapon and possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

Numerous weapons were recovered during the operation, including a firearm and 29 knives.

As a result of one stop in Croydon Road, Penge, on February 3, two males were searched and found to be in possession of drugs.

During a search of a nearby address they were linked to officers discovered over £18,000 in cash.

On February 11, officers located a vehicle in the Bromley area which had been linked to an earlier incident involving criminal damage to a car.

Two males were arrested after a large machete, baseball bat, and sling shot with ball bearings were found inside the vehicle.

Officers discovered the gun during the search of a Purley address on March 17

A large quantity of suspected Class A drugs were also found and two men were arrested at the property.

Inspector Leon Coltress, from the VCTF, said: “What we are able to do with our resources is to swiftly mobilise a specialised team of highly trained officers to deal directly with an emerging issue in any area of London.

“The results following this recent focus in Croydon and Bromley are plain to see. It is clear this activity has had a significant impact on efforts to tackle violent crime in the area.

"The significant number of arrests also demonstrates the value of intelligence-led stop and search.

“Residents will have seen officers not only dealing with but also preventing crime, and will hopefully have been reassured by their presence and felt safer as a result.

"It’s essential we all work together to help protect our communities.”