https://www.scmp.com/rss/522108/feed The latest news and top stories on the Metropolitan Police. A prominent London-based governmental body, the Metropolitan Police Service (also known as the Met) is dedicated to law enforcement and crime prevention across Greater London, excluding the City of London. Headquartered at New Scotland Yard, it is the UK’s largest territorial police force. Its main areas of focus include investigating crime, counter-terrorism, maintaining public order and protecting key individuals. Established in 1829,... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press A 45-year-old man was charged on Friday with attempted murder in the stabbings of two Jewish men in London, the latest in a string of attacks that have sparked fear and anger in Britain’s Jewish community. Essa Suleiman was remanded into custody after appearing in Westminster Magistrates’ Court to face two counts of the charge related to the attack in Golders Green. He also faces a third count of attempted murder over an incident elsewhere in the city earlier the same day that left a man with... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352163/man-jailed-over-attempted-murder-charge-stabbings-jewish-men-london?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352163/man-jailed-over-attempted-murder-charge-stabbings-jewish-men-london?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 May 2026 10:52:50 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The UK government said on Thursday that the country was facing an antisemitism emergency and pledged to increase security for Jewish communities after a string of arson attacks and a double stabbing that have sparked fear and anger among Jews. The country’s official terror threat level was raised from substantial to severe after Wednesday’s stabbing attack in London, which police have called an act of terrorism with potential links to Iran. Severe is the second-highest rung on a five-point scale... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352030/uk-tackle-antisemitism-emergency-police-probe-double-stabbing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352030/uk-tackle-antisemitism-emergency-police-probe-double-stabbing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:49:05 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press British Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged on Monday that he made the wrong judgement when he picked Jeffrey Epstein’s friend Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to Washington, batting away a barrage of calls to resign over a scandal that has left his leadership teetering. Starmer said he would have withdrawn the appointment if he had known Mandelson had failed security checks, as he tried to explain why Mandelson was given the UK’s most important diplomatic post. Starmer placed blame... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350783/starmer-admits-mistake-appointing-mandelson-us-envoy-resists-calls-resign?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350783/starmer-admits-mistake-appointing-mandelson-us-envoy-resists-calls-resign?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 16:46:21 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press British police have arrested two teenagers in connection with a weekend arson attack on a synagogue in northwest London, as Jewish leaders express concern about a wave of incidents targeting their community. Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes of London’s Metropolitan Police Service on Monday said officers arrested two young men, aged 19 and 17, overnight in relation to the attack on the Kenton United Synagogue in the borough of Harrow. The department has made 15 arrests related to six attacks on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350657/uk-police-investigating-iran-link-arson-attacks-jewish-sites-london?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350657/uk-police-investigating-iran-link-arson-attacks-jewish-sites-london?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 19:39:17 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse UK counterterror officers are investigating an arson attack on a shop in an area of London with a large Jewish population, police said on Saturday, following similar incidents in recent weeks. No one was injured in the fire on late Friday in Hendon, in the northwest of Britain’s capital, London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement, without specifying the business targeted. It comes after police arrested two people over a separate arson attack on a synagogue in nearby Finchley, on Wednesday,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350585/uks-counterterror-police-probe-another-london-arson-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350585/uks-counterterror-police-probe-another-london-arson-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 12:47:18 +0000 dpa dpa A thief who swiped a handbag from a London pub containing a Faberge egg and watch set valued at up to £2.2 million (US$3 million) has been jailed for more than two years. Enzo Conticello, 29, took the Givenchy handbag belonging to Rosie Dawson as she stood in the smoking area of the Dog and Duck pub in Bateman Street on November 7, 2024. Inside the £1,600 bag was an emerald-encrusted Faberge egg and Faberge watch belonging to Dawson’s employers at the Craft Irish Whiskey Company, as well as a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349547/us3-million-faberge-egg-heist-london-pub-ends-jail-thief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349547/us3-million-faberge-egg-heist-london-pub-ends-jail-thief?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:15:08 +0000 dpa dpa Armed police guarding London Mayor Sadiq Khan left a bag of guns outside his home which was found by a member of the public, it was reported. Scaffolder Jordan Griffiths told The Sun that his pregnant girlfriend found the bag in south London on Tuesday evening. Inside the bag was an MP5 semi-automatic Heckler & Koch carbine, a Glock pistol, taser and ammunition, the newspaper reported. “My partner saw the bag sitting in the road by the kerbside and became suspicious. She went over to it and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349014/london-mayors-protection-officers-relieved-duties-after-bag-guns-misplaced?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349014/london-mayors-protection-officers-relieved-duties-after-bag-guns-misplaced?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 03:09:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The BBC defended on Wednesday its handling of a DJ sacked years after he was the subject of a police investigation into allegations of sexual offences against a teenage boy. The controversy surrounding former radio host Scott Mills, 53, is the latest involving a high-profile presenter to roil the publicly funded broadcaster. London’s Metropolitan Police said this week that it questioned Mills in 2018 over allegations of “serious sexual offences” against a boy under the age of 16. The case was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348708/bbc-defends-action-new-sex-abuse-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348708/bbc-defends-action-new-sex-abuse-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:54:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse British police said on Wednesday they had arrested two men over a London arson attack on four volunteer ambulances run by a Jewish organisation. The arrests came after police said they were investigating an online claim of responsibility by a little-known Islamist group which has possible links to Iran. The ambulances were set on fire early Monday while they were parked next to a synagogue in an area of London with a large Jewish population. The Metropolitan Police said two men aged 47 and 45... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347868/uk-police-arrest-2-men-over-jewish-ambulances-arson-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347868/uk-police-arrest-2-men-over-jewish-ambulances-arson-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 09:40:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Hundreds of people turned out in London on Sunday for a pro-Palestinian march banned by the government after police said it was organised by a group “supportive of the Iranian regime”. Police said in a statement they had arrested 12 people and were investigating anti-Israeli chants allegedly made at the rally. Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood said earlier this week she had agreed to the ban to “prevent serious public disorder” in the context of the continuing conflict in the Middle East, where... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346690/police-arrest-12-hundreds-join-banned-pro-palestinian-march-london?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346690/police-arrest-12-hundreds-join-banned-pro-palestinian-march-london?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 19:43:29 +0000 dpa dpa British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has taken responsibility for his “mistake” in sending Peter Mandelson to Washington as ambassador, as Downing Street denied there was a “cover-up” in the release of files related to the appointment. The prime minister is facing fresh questions about his judgment in giving Mandelson the ambassadorship despite being warned of a “general reputational risk” because of his relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In his first public appearance since the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346415/uk-pm-starmer-admits-his-mistake-appointing-mandelson-us-ambassador?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346415/uk-pm-starmer-admits-his-mistake-appointing-mandelson-us-ambassador?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 16:38:12 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk Warissara* survived the crash. It was the next four hours that killed her. The 21-year-old had been riding home from her restaurant job on the night of February 20 last year, caught in heavy rain on a slick Bangkok road, when she came off her motorbike. Emergency responders who arrived at the scene found only a few visible scratches – and detected the smell of alcohol. She had no identification on her. The call was made: send her to the police station, not the hospital. She arrived at... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3346046/mistaken-drunks-left-die-thailands-police-have-deadly-blind-spot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3346046/mistaken-drunks-left-die-thailands-police-have-deadly-blind-spot?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 04:23:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Four men were arrested in Britain on Friday on suspicion of assisting Iran’s intelligence service by spying on locations and people linked to London’s Jewish community, police said. The men – one Iranian national and three dual British-Iranians – were arrested by counterterrorism police at three separate addresses in the UK capital, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. The force’s head of counterterrorism policing, Helen Flanagan, said the arrests were “part of a long-running... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3345720/uk-police-arrest-4-suspicion-spying-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3345720/uk-police-arrest-4-suspicion-spying-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 09:14:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain’s ⁠government has agreed a framework with the police on which documents relating to the late 2024 appointment of former ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson ‌can be released, the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) said on Thursday. Mandelson, 72, was released from custody after the Metropolitan Police arrested him on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following revelations over his ties to ⁠Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein is at... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344789/uk-government-agrees-framework-publishing-mandelson-vetting-documents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344789/uk-government-agrees-framework-publishing-mandelson-vetting-documents?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 20:18:48 +0000 Reuters Reuters Former British ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson was arrested ⁠by London police on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following revelations over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson, 72, was fired from the most prestigious posting in Britain’s diplomatic service in September, when the depth of his friendship with Epstein started to become clear. Police earlier this month began a criminal investigation into Mandelson after Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344381/uks-peter-mandelson-arrested-london-after-revelations-over-his-ties-epstein?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344381/uks-peter-mandelson-arrested-london-after-revelations-over-his-ties-epstein?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 17:42:28 +0000 Reuters Reuters London police officers assigned to King ⁠Charles’ younger brother ⁠Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor were instructed to provide ⁠security for a dinner party at Jeffrey Epstein’s residence in New York in 2010, British media reported on Sunday. The Sunday Times, which first reported the story, cited emails from the Epstein files that ‌appear to detail arrangements for Mountbatten-Windsor to stay with the late convicted sex offender in December 2010, along with his two protection officers from London’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344277/uk-protection-officers-instructed-guard-2010-epstein-dinner-party-reports-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344277/uk-protection-officers-instructed-guard-2010-epstein-dinner-party-reports-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 17:12:16 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain’s government will consider new legislation to remove the former prince Andrew from the line of royal succession once the police investigation into his ties with Epstein is over, a UK official has said. Any changes to the line of succession – Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is eighth in line to the throne – would require consultation and agreement with other countries where King Charles ‌is head of state, the official, who asked not to be identified, said on Friday. The former prince was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344185/uk-consider-removing-ex-prince-andrew-royal-line-succession?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344185/uk-consider-removing-ex-prince-andrew-royal-line-succession?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 19:27:00 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A UK court on Tuesday denied a legal challenge brought by the Freemasons against a new London police policy requiring officers to declare membership of the historically secretive society. In a 17-page judgment handed down at London’s High Court, judge Martin Chamberlain said the Metropolitan Police’s policy “serves a legitimate aim, maintaining and enhancing public trust in policing, and is proportionate”. He said the grounds of the challenge were not “reasonably arguable”, and the policy was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343841/uk-court-backs-london-police-rule-forcing-officers-declare-freemasonry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343841/uk-court-backs-london-police-rule-forcing-officers-declare-freemasonry?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 13:31:22 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A UK childcare worker who filmed himself sexually abusing youngsters at a nursery where he worked and downloaded over 26,000 indecent images of children was on Thursday jailed for 18 years. Vincent Chan, 45, who admitted a raft of 56 charges including sexual assault, was described in court as “every parent’s worst nightmare”. Passing sentence, Judge John Dodd told him he was guilty of an “utterly wicked, perverse and depraved” campaign of sexual abuse. “You became a sexual predator and someone... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343378/uk-nursery-worker-vincent-chan-jailed-sexually-abusing-children?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343378/uk-nursery-worker-vincent-chan-jailed-sexually-abusing-children?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 17:03:05 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Britain’s King Charles is ready to “support’’ UK police examining claims that the former prince Andrew gave confidential information to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Buckingham Palace said on Monday. The statement came after Thames Valley Police said Monday that they were “assessing” reports that the former prince, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, sent trade reports to Epstein in 2010. The department, which serves an area west of London that includes Mountbatten-Windsor’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342973/uk-police-assess-claims-ex-prince-andrew-sent-sensitive-trade-records-epstein?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342973/uk-police-assess-claims-ex-prince-andrew-sent-sensitive-trade-records-epstein?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 16:55:35 +0000 dpa dpa The former British ambassador to the United States and former government minister Peter Mandelson is facing demands to hand back the payoff he received after being sacked as US envoy. The senior Labour Party figure was sacked over his relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, but anger in Westminster has intensified after the latest release of documents which indicated he leaked information to his friend while he was a government minister. Allies of Prime Minister Keir Starmer said... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342820/mandelson-epstein-scandal-demands-grow-ex-envoy-repay-us75000-severance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342820/mandelson-epstein-scandal-demands-grow-ex-envoy-repay-us75000-severance?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 08:19:50 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Tokyo police have arrested the suspected head of one of Japan’s largest tokuryu organised crime groups after a year-long manhunt, but analysts have warned that such gangs are typically resilient and can operate without their leaders. Horaki Obata, 40, was arrested on Monday on the island of Amami in Kagoshima prefecture in southern Japan following a tip-off, police said. Obata is accused of leading Natural, a tokuryu that scouts women on the streets of Tokyo for the sex industry. He has denied... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3341607/japans-new-wave-yakuza-tokuryu-gangs-take-control-lucrative-sex-business?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3341607/japans-new-wave-yakuza-tokuryu-gangs-take-control-lucrative-sex-business?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 04:00:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The British government said on Sunday it will unveil plans this week to create a new national police force, dubbed the “British FBI”, to take charge of complex investigations such as counterterrorism, fraud, online child abuse and criminal gangs. The National Police Service will bring under the same umbrella the work of existing agencies dealing with terrorism and crime, police helicopters and policing of the roads, and regional organised crime units in England and Wales. Home Secretary Shabana... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341189/uk-create-british-fbi-bring-national-investigations-under-single-police-force?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341189/uk-create-british-fbi-bring-national-investigations-under-single-police-force?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2026 22:37:46 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Eighty-six people were arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass after protesters breached the grounds of a London prison in support of a pro-Palestinian hunger striker, UK police said on Sunday. The group were “protesting in support of a Palestine Action prisoner on a hunger strike” late Saturday and then refused to leave the prison grounds when ordered to do so, London’s Metropolitan Police said on X. “They allegedly blocked prison staff from entering and leaving, threatened police officers... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341184/dozens-protesters-supporting-palestine-action-hunger-striker-arrested-uk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341184/dozens-protesters-supporting-palestine-action-hunger-striker-arrested-uk?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2026 18:05:59 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse London’s Metropolitan Police said on Saturday it had decided not to launch a criminal investigation into allegations that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, brother of King Charles, asked his taxpayer-funded bodyguard to investigate his accuser Virginia Giuffre. In a historic decision, Charles in October stripped the former prince Andrew, 65, of his titles over his involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. The claim that he asked an officer in 2011 to dig up dirt on Giuffre, his main accuser, for a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3336355/uk-police-wont-investigate-ex-prince-andrew-over-virginia-giuffre-allegation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3336355/uk-police-wont-investigate-ex-prince-andrew-over-virginia-giuffre-allegation?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Dec 2025 17:22:49 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse UK police were probing on Sunday an assault involving pepper spray at a Heathrow Airport car park that disrupted travel and left 21 people, including a three-year-old girl, needing medical treatment. In a departure from an earlier account of the incident at Terminal 3’s multi-storey car park, London’s Metropolitan Police said it now appeared to have stemmed from a suitcase robbery by people known to each other. Commander Peter Stevens, who had previously characterised it as an argument that... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3335534/uk-police-arrest-man-after-21-injured-heathrow-airport-car-park-fight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3335534/uk-police-arrest-man-after-21-injured-heathrow-airport-car-park-fight?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 17:29:45 +0000 dpa dpa Four protesters have been arrested after custard and apple crumble was thrown at a display case containing the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London. Take Back Power, which describes itself as a new non-violent civil-resistance group, claimed it was behind the act. Footage shared by the group showed one demonstrator removing the large foil tray of crumble from a bag and then slamming it against the glass protecting the Imperial State Crown. Another then repeatedly poured a tub of bright yellow... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3335472/4-arrested-after-protesters-throw-crumble-britains-crown-jewels?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3335472/4-arrested-after-protesters-throw-crumble-britains-crown-jewels?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Dec 2025 14:01:04 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press British police said on Sunday that one of two men arrested in connection with a mass stabbing attack that spread fear and panic on a London-bound train a day earlier has been released without charge, and that one person, a “heroic” member of the railway staff, remains in a life-threatening condition. In a statement Sunday evening, police said the only remaining suspect was a 32-year-old British man who remained in custody on suspicion of attempted murder. A second man initially arrested as a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3331260/uk-police-release-1-2-men-arrested-over-train-stabbings-laud-heroic-rail-worker?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3331260/uk-police-release-1-2-men-arrested-over-train-stabbings-laud-heroic-rail-worker?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Nov 2025 22:34:26 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse UK police on Sunday arrested an Ethiopian asylum seeker and convicted sex offender, whose crimes had sparked anti-immigration protests, after he was accidentally released from prison in an embarrassing blunder by officials. London’s Metropolitan Police said officers arrested Hadush Kebatu in the north of the capital on Sunday morning, nearly 48 hours after he was mistakenly freed. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Kebatu would now be deported. “We have ordered an investigation to establish what... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3330399/london-police-arrest-asylum-seeker-sex-offender-who-was-mistakenly-freed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3330399/london-police-arrest-asylum-seeker-sex-offender-who-was-mistakenly-freed?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Oct 2025 16:36:45 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press He won’t call himself a duke any more, but that is not enough for many of Prince Andrew’s critics. Buckingham Palace and the British government were under pressure Monday to formally strip Prince Andrew of his princely title and sumptuous home after new revelations about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. After discussions with his elder brother King Charles, Andrew agreed on Friday to stop using titles including Duke of York. It was the latest effort to insulate the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3329768/palace-and-uk-government-under-pressure-strip-prince-andrew-titles-and-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3329768/palace-and-uk-government-under-pressure-strip-prince-andrew-titles-and-home?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 07:11:13 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Four people have been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle about 8kg of gold worth around 98.7 million yen (US$650,000) from Hong Kong to Japan by concealing gold powder in underwear, sources familiar with the matter revealed on Tuesday. Masamori Nishimura, 34, is believed to have orchestrated the smuggling attempt by instructing three women in their 20s and 30s to wear underwear with concealed gold powder on a flight in July last year, the sources said. The four admitted to the charges,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3329750/4-smugglers-arrested-bringing-gold-japan-hong-kong-underwear?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3329750/4-smugglers-arrested-bringing-gold-japan-hong-kong-underwear?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 06:15:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain’s Prince Andrew asked police in 2011 to dig up personal information about Virginia Giuffre, the woman who accused him of sexually abusing her as a teenager, a British newspaper reported on Sunday, days after the royal gave up his Duke of York title. London’s Metropolitan Police said it was “actively looking” into the allegations in the Mail on Sunday report. Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles, said on Friday... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3329595/uks-prince-andrew-asked-police-help-smear-sexual-abuse-accuser-newspaper-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3329595/uks-prince-andrew-asked-police-help-smear-sexual-abuse-accuser-newspaper-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Oct 2025 18:19:53 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft London police have dismantled a criminal gang responsible for up to 40 per cent of all phone thefts in the city in its largest operation targeting stolen phones after discovering about 1,000 such devices bound for Hong Kong. The Metropolitan Police (Met) on Tuesday said that after an almost years-long operation it had arrested at least 17 people involved in a criminal network suspected of having smuggled more than 40,000 stolen phones from the United Kingdom to China. “This is the largest... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3328150/london-gang-dismantled-after-raid-uncovers-1000-stolen-phones-bound-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3328150/london-gang-dismantled-after-raid-uncovers-1000-stolen-phones-bound-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Oct 2025 12:32:38 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Police said on Sunday they were investigating a suspected arson at a mosque in southern England as a “hate crime”, days after a fatal attack on a synagogue. Officers were called to the incident at the mosque in the southern coast town of Peacehaven late on Saturday. While no one was injured, the fire caused damage to the mosque’s front entrance and a car parked outside. In the wake of the attack, Sussex Police shared images of two masked men dressed in dark clothing and appealed for help from... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327937/uk-police-investigate-fire-sussex-mosque-hate-crime?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327937/uk-police-investigate-fire-sussex-mosque-hate-crime?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Oct 2025 19:55:27 +0000 dpa dpa The prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has tried to confront the prosecutor who accused him of her murder, it has been reported. Christian Brueckner travelled for hours to the prosecutor’s office in the German city of Braunschweig but was denied a meeting with Hans Christian Wolters, Sky News reported on Monday. He told the broadcaster: “The prosecutor refused to meet me, but I told his representative I wanted his help to get my life back. “I’m being hounded by the media, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327299/madeleine-mccann-suspect-tries-confront-prosecutor-who-accused-him-girls-murder?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327299/madeleine-mccann-suspect-tries-confront-prosecutor-who-accused-him-girls-murder?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Sep 2025 22:45:19 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A 47-year-old Chinese woman on Monday told a UK court that she played a leading role in a multibillion-pound fraudulent bitcoin scheme. Businesswoman Qian Zhimin, alias Zhang Yadi, pleaded guilty at London’s Southwark Crown Court following what is believed to be the single largest cryptocurrency seizure in the world, now worth about £5.5 billion (US$7.4 billion). Qian admitted one count of possessing criminal property and one count of transferring criminal property. Judge Sally-Ann Hales... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327295/chinese-woman-admits-us74-billion-bitcoin-fraud-uk-court?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327295/chinese-woman-admits-us74-billion-bitcoin-fraud-uk-court?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Sep 2025 19:18:29 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press British, Lithuanian and Latvian authorities have detained people on suspicion of carrying out intelligence-related activities on behalf of Russia in the latest of a string of incidents linked to Moscow by Western officials. The Metropolitan Police said on Thursday they arrested three people just east of London on suspicion of spying for Russia. On Wednesday, Lithuanian prosecutors said they uncovered and detained a Russia-linked network of suspects who are alleged to have planned and organised... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3326023/uk-police-arrest-3-spying-lithuania-eyes-russia-linked-sabotage-network?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3326023/uk-police-arrest-3-spying-lithuania-eyes-russia-linked-sabotage-network?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Sep 2025 11:55:34 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday that Britain would not tolerate people feeling intimidated “because of their background or the colour of their skin” after a large far-right protest was marked by battles with police. In his first comments on Saturday’s rally organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson and attended by up to 150,000 people, according to police, Starmer also condemned attacks on police officers. The clashes left 26 officers injured, four seriously, and led to 24... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3325505/uk-police-vow-further-arrests-after-violent-far-right-london-rally?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3325505/uk-police-vow-further-arrests-after-violent-far-right-london-rally?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Sep 2025 13:23:37 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Clashes erupted on Saturday as more than 100,000 people turned out in central London for a rally organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, with police arresting nine people after facing “unacceptable violence” trying to control the crowds. The huge crowds, many draped in English and British flags, gathered from late morning in and around Westminster for what Robinson, a veteran of UK far-right organising, branded the country’s “biggest free speech festival”. Around 5,000 people turned out... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3325441/1000-london-police-brace-simultaneous-anti-immigrant-anti-racism-protests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3325441/1000-london-police-brace-simultaneous-anti-immigrant-anti-racism-protests?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Sep 2025 10:36:39 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg US President Donald Trump said he plans to deploy federal troops to another US city, as he made a surprise visit to a Washington DC restaurant in a bid to argue his federal takeover of the city’s law enforcement is working. “We’ll announce it probably tomorrow, and it’s going to be something where we will do like we did here,” Trump told reporters Tuesday outside Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab, an upscale surf and turf restaurant near the White House. The president said he was working... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3324980/trump-dines-out-near-white-house-and-says-hell-send-troops-another-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3324980/trump-dines-out-near-white-house-and-says-hell-send-troops-another-city?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 03:33:52 +0000 Reuters Reuters British police arrested dozens more people on Saturday under anti-terrorism laws for demonstrating in support of Palestine Action, a pro-Palestinian group banned by the government as a terrorist organisation. Britain banned Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation in July after some of its members broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged military planes. The group accuses Britain’s government of complicity in what it says are Israeli war crimes in Gaza. Police have arrested... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3324619/dozens-arrested-latest-uk-protest-banned-palestine-action?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3324619/dozens-arrested-latest-uk-protest-banned-palestine-action?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Sep 2025 14:36:03 +0000 Agence France-Presse,Reuters Agence France-Presse,Reuters Indonesian police fired tear gas into crowds of protesters near two universities in the major regional city of Bandung, student groups and authorities said on Tuesday, raising tensions around demonstrations that have killed eight since last week. The protests began in the capital Jakarta, targeting government spending such as enhanced perks for lawmakers, and have since spread nationwide. They escalated into rioting and looting after a police vehicle hit and killed a motorcycle taxi driver,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3324023/8-dead-20-missing-indonesias-unrest-escalates-more-protests-expected?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3324023/8-dead-20-missing-indonesias-unrest-escalates-more-protests-expected?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 06:45:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters British police said they arrested five people on Saturday after masked men tried to force their way into a hotel used by asylum seekers, a day after the government won a court ruling on the use of another hotel to house migrants. Two groups of anti-asylum protesters marched to the Crowne Plaza Hotel near Heathrow Airport before some demonstrators tried to break in, London’s Metropolitan Police force said. Two police officers suffered minor injuries, it said. “We understand strength of feeling on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3323789/uk-police-arrest-5-men-hotel-near-london-during-anti-asylum-protest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3323789/uk-police-arrest-5-men-hotel-near-london-during-anti-asylum-protest?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Aug 2025 20:27:27 +0000 dpa dpa A 15-year-old boy and a 54-year-old man have been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life after a fire at a restaurant in London that left five people injured. Emergency services were called to Indian Aroma in Ilford, at about 9pm on Friday. Five people, three women and two men, were injured in the incident. Two of them, a man and a woman, remain in life-threatening condition, London’s Metropolitan Police said. It is also believed there are two further victims who left the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3322985/boy-15-and-man-arrested-after-fire-london-restaurant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3322985/boy-15-and-man-arrested-after-fire-london-restaurant?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Aug 2025 13:50:57 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle Hong Kong police sparked outrage, more than 20 years ago, when they proposed a radical new approach to fighting crime. A pilot scheme to install closed-circuit television cameras in entertainment hotspot Lan Kwai Fong was shelved in 2002, after a backlash from the public and cross-party opposition from lawmakers. Since then, the use of cameras in various forms has been enthusiastically embraced by law enforcement agencies around the world, helping to trace and deter criminals. Hong Kong is no... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3322931/smart-policing-makes-sense-so-does-need-safeguards?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3322931/smart-policing-makes-sense-so-does-need-safeguards?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Aug 2025 15:15:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US Justice Department has opened an investigation into whether police officials in Washington have falsified data to make crime rates appear lower than they are, according to two people familiar with the investigation who were not authorised to publicly discuss an open investigation. The investigation comes amid an escalating – and political – showdown between the Trump administration and the city over control of the police department. It was not immediately clear which federal laws could... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3322429/justice-department-investigating-whether-washington-police-officials-falsified-crime-data?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3322429/justice-department-investigating-whether-washington-police-officials-falsified-crime-data?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2025 20:49:49 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse On a recent weekday, Diego Galdino was on the hunt for pickpockets in central London, patrolling tourist hotspots for familiar suspects and telltale signs of those about to commit theft. Galdino, however, is not a policeman. The Brazilian food app delivery rider has become a popular, social media-fuelled vigilante targeting pickpocketing in the British capital. He started filming – and then trying to disrupt – thieves in action after witnessing several incidents. And his videos on Instagram,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3322121/armed-tiktok-viral-pickpocket-buster-hunts-londons-thieves?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3322121/armed-tiktok-viral-pickpocket-buster-hunts-londons-thieves?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Aug 2025 05:30:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press British police said they arrested 365 people in central London on Saturday as supporters of a recently banned pro-Palestinian group intentionally flouted the law as part of their effort to force the government to reconsider the ban. Parliament in early July passed a law banning Palestine Action and making it a crime to publicly support the organisation. Backers of the group, who have held a series of protests around the UK over the past month, argue that the law illegally restricts freedom of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3321335/london-police-arrest-150-pro-palestine-demonstrators-defying-new-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3321335/london-police-arrest-150-pro-palestine-demonstrators-defying-new-law?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Aug 2025 14:50:45 +0000 Agencies Agencies British band Oasis said on Sunday its members were “shocked and saddened” after a man fell to his death during their concert at London’s Wembley Stadium. The Metropolitan Police force said officers and paramedics responded to reports of an injured person on Saturday night. Police said a man in his 40s was found “with injuries consistent with a fall”. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The force urged anyone who saw what happened or caught it on phone video to contact the police. “We are... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3320616/man-falls-his-death-during-oasis-concert-londons-wembley-stadium?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3320616/man-falls-his-death-during-oasis-concert-londons-wembley-stadium?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Aug 2025 18:34:06 +0000