The row of shops (and pub) here used to be known as Butchers' Row as it was lined with, well, butchers of course - and they would hang their meat outside their stores on rows of metal hooks. Most of the buildings have since been redeveloped, but the gap between shops on Aldgate High Street has been there since shortly after WWII. The gap wasn't due to bomb damage, but for some reason, one building was cleared, and later its neighbour as well.
Two thieves who tried to steal a bicycle locked up opposite a police station in broad daylight have pleaded guilty to theft. John Kent, 43, of no fixed address, admitted attempted theft of a pedal cycle and handling stolen goods. John Hutchenson, 44, of Canton Street, E14, pleaded guilty to attempted theft of a pedal cycle, going equipped to steal, and theft from a shop.
Detective Chief Superintendent Mandy Horsburgh, Head of Crime and Specialist Operations at the City of London Police, said: The City of London Police are at the forefront of the fight back against all those involved in phone theft criminality, whether this is snatching phones from people's hands, using distraction techniques, handing the stolen goods or trying to export devices out of the country. The net is closing in on those who profit from people's misery when they have their phones stolen.
A lot of the unit's work centres on illegal e-bikes; they have seized 212 so far this year. News comes over the radio that PCs Harry Rose and David Parker have stopped someone they suspect is on an illegal e-bike, so we find them with a delivery rider in the familiar green livery of Uber Eats. The man, whose name is Mahede Hasan, says his bike has pedals, and the power of the electric motor is 250 watts, which he thought was allowed.
