The Met today issued an image of a man they want to quiz in connection with the vandalism of ULEZ cameras in west London as it was revealed that 288 incidents have been reported across the capital.
There have been numerous acts of vandalism against cameras ahead of the launch of the ULEZ on August 29 with some even ripped down.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan won a court battle to get the green light to charge motorists with non-compliant vehicles £12.50 a day in all areas within the North and South Circular roads. The controversial charges have faced opposition from some councils and motorists.
As part of the ongoing operation deteceives have released an image of a man they are working to trace in connection with four offences in Hillingdon, Harrow and Uxbridge on Saturday, 17 June.
The Met continues to investigate a string of reports of ULEZ cameras being vandalised across London.
An operation was launched in April after reports of criminal damage and theft were passed to the Met by Transport for London (TfL).
As of Tuesday, 1 August the Met had recorded 288 crimes relating to ULEZ cameras. This includes approximately 185 reports of cables being damaged, 164 cameras being stolen and 38 reports of cameras being obscured, the Met said in its update.
A crime can include multiple offences. Multiple offences can also be linked to one camera, for example a cable being damaged then the camera being stolen.
Officers continue to work in partnership with Transport for London to proactively tackle the targeting of ULEZ cameras across London.
Commander Owain Richards said: “These are clearly unacceptable acts of criminality and we have a team of officers investigating and identifying those responsible.
“We are providing a proportionate policing response, balancing these incidents against the wide range of operational demand and crime we must respond to across London.
“We are working closely with Transport for London and alongside our investigation into offences already committed we are supporting them identify new ways to prevent further cameras from being damaged or stolen.
“We are continually reviewing where we need to focus our efforts and we will continue to do that over the coming weeks to ensure we are providing the service Londoners expect from us.”
Any witnesses or anyone with any information about the man in the image is asked to call police on 101 or contact via Twitter @MetCC. Please quote CAD3968/14AUG. To remain anonymous contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.
