This is the moment armed police used a circular saw to raid the home of a suspected knife smuggler.
Body-worn footage shows an officer cutting vertically through the red door into the terraced house on Wandsworth Road in Lambeth, south Londonshortly after 5 a.m. on Tuesday.
A colleague then rams open the door while others storm the building and shout: ‘police, stay where you are.’
The search warrant was executed after intelligence suggested illegal knives were being imported into Britain and were allegedly linked to the address, the Metropolitan Police said.
Inside, officers found a box containing ten weapons, including lock knives and flick knives.
A man in his twenties was arrested at the property on suspicion of importing prohibited weapons. He was taken into custody.
Body-worn footage showed the suspect asking, “what?!” in apparent disbelief when he was arrested.
Detectives said the suspect is linked to the attempted import of a ‘significant number’ of knives from China, including zombie knives, which were intercepted by Border Force before they could reach the streets.
Body-worn camera footage shows the moment police use a circular saw to execute a search warrant at a house in Lambeth
Armed officers then rammed the door open during the morning attack
Officers reportedly found a number of weapons inside
Detective Chief Inspector Kara Moulds, who led the Met’s operation, said: ‘These knives have no place on the streets of London.
“They are specifically designed to cause serious harm, which is why our officers are ruthlessly targeting those suspected of bringing them into our communities.
‘Every knife we confiscate is one less weapon with which we can threaten, injure or kill. By taking them off the streets and bringing offenders to justice, we are making London safer for everyone.”
Images released by the Met show a selection of bladed weapons reportedly discovered at the property.
These raids are part of the Met’s ongoing efforts to tackle knife crime and violence in the capital.
In September 2024, zombie-style knives and machetes were added to the list of banned weapons in England and Wales.
Zombie knives are weapons that typically have a blade longer than eight inches and often contain a serrated edge, spines, or multiple sharp points.
A US police operation in May against the capital’s most dangerous knife crime perpetrators resulted in the arrest of 243 people and the seizure of 159 knives.
The suspect appeared surprised when he was arrested
During the investigation, the police seized a number of weapons
During the two-week crackdown – part of Operation Scepter – officers trialled a new data-driven approach to identifying the highest priority suspects.
Scotland Yard was directly responsible for 88 of the 243 arrests.
More than 3,000 guns have been removed from London’s streets in the past year.
