POLICE officers on the ground were tipped off on where to go and catch criminals by investigators watching CCTV in a control room.

The investigators usually work for one specific police force in the South East – Thames Valley, Essex, Hertfordshire, Surrey, the Met, City of London or British Transport Police – but over three days on December 1 they came together in one control room for a major police operation.

Using things like CCTV and ANPR (automatic number plate recognition cameras) they watched as criminals moved between the different force patches on trains, underground tubes and motorways like the M40 and A40 to evade being caught.

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Frontline police officers were told where to go and areas to patrol by sergeants who were given all the information by the control room in real-time.

The sting led to officers arresting 169 people for serious crimes like carrying weapons and supplying drugs – the number of people charged is not yet known.

A total of 32 weapons were also taken off the streets, 25 vehicles were seized and two stolen cars were found.

Oxford Mail: police sting to catch criminals moving between areas. Pic Thames Valley Policepolice sting to catch criminals moving between areas. Pic Thames Valley Police

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Superintendent Amy Clements, who was leading the operation, said that it was a successful result in the lead up to Christmas when burglars in particular are looking for opportunities to commit crime and make a getaway before being caught.

She said there is a ‘significant’ number of criminals committing crime in one area of the South East and then moving around to evade being caught ‘sometimes more than once in a day’.

She said: “Traditionally December is heightened for crime like burglaries. Commonly it is a month when more crime is committed with the longer nights, much darker days and Christmas in homes – it becomes attractive.

“Burglaries was a main focus [for the operation] and other serious criminality and violence. Quite often they carry offensive weapons and it was looking to target crimes like this.”

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The 169 people were arrested in different areas across the South East with TVP officers handcuffing 26 people.

But the ‘impact of these will be felt across the region’, the superintendent explained.

She said: “It’s not a one off, it’s something we have done in police before and we know from similar operations that it has made a big impact.

“It is far better for us to target the criminals than to investigate the crimes after it happens."

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The force said residents can do ‘simple things’ over Christmas to deter burglars like keeping lights on and presents out of sight.

It also said tip-offs about serious crimes are ‘vital’ in ‘identifying’ and ‘intercepting’ and have urged anybody who notices ‘something that doesn’t look right’ to call 101.

In an emergency always call 999.