A huge weapon sweep has taken place across Bromley and south London resulting in hundreds of arrests.

Between February and April, officers from various commands across the Met carried out a series of patrols in response to a spate of unrelated stabbings.

The Violent Crime Taskforce (VCTF) joined local officers over a ten-week period to provide additional support.

Specialist drug detection dogs and automatic number plate recognition technology were also used.

In total 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 also recovered during the operation, including a firearm and 29 knives.

It forms part of Met-wide efforts to drive down violence and related crime through a proactive operation in Croydon and Bromley.

On 11 February 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 a gun during the search of a Purley address on 17 March.

A large quantity of suspected Class A drugs were also found and two males 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.”

Read more: All the latest news from Bexley and Bromley