A targeted police operation in Battersea and Nine Elms has driven an 84% drop in thefts and robberies over three months. The operation, Roar, began in May 2025 and has involved more than 90 officers and partner agencies, including council anti-social behaviour teams. Intelligence-led raids on August 27 led to the arrest of six males aged 17–19 and the seizure of suspected stolen phones, a motorbike, a Rambo knife and drugs. Twenty arrests have been made under Roar so far, including members of another organised phone-snatching group. Theft reductions include a near 50% fall in robberies in local wards and 31–32% drops in thefts.
Officers arrested six members of a gang aged between 17 and 19 as part of an intelligence-led operation on August 27 after the community raised concerns about phone theft. Police carried out warrants at seven addresses targeting individuals believed to be involved in dozens of phone thefts and robberies in the area for over a year, seizing several suspected stolen handsets, a motorbike, a Rambo knife and drugs. All six men have been bailed until Tuesday, 25 November. Court dates are yet to be confirmed.
The operation, known as Roar' has involved more than 90 officers and partners, such as council anti-social behaviour officers, since it was introduced in May 2025. It comes as the Met ramps up its efforts to tackle phone thieves and deploys more officers on high-speed e-bikes to catch them. Officers have made 20 arrests so far as part of the Roar operation, including seven members of another organised group of phone snatchers operating in the Brixton, Lambeth, Stockwell and Wandsworth areas.
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