Police seize weapons in Croydon

The first took place on Friday after police obtained a "rapid entry warrant" to a property in the borough.

Inside, they found "a dismantled Shot Gun, Ammunition, A Flick Knife and Air Weapons."

A day later, the Met arrested two men in the borough after two separate raids recovered a handgun though to be linked to robberies in South London that happened between September 29 and November 23.

Two 21-year-olds were arrested on Ribblesdale Road and Norbury Avenue, Thornton Heath respectively, police said, "on suspicion of robbery and possession of a firearm with intent to cause violence".

27th Nov
PCs from the Broad Green SNT & Violence Suppression Unit executed a rapid entry warrant, Inside officers recovered a dismantled Shot Gun, Ammunition, A Flick Knife & Air Weapons
This with another warrant executed this week has seen us take 4 Firearms off the streets pic.twitter.com/VxoqSPxeke

— Croydon MPS (@MPSCroydon) November 30, 2020

"Officers recovered a handgun from a vehicle during the searches at Norbury Avenue – this will be sent for testing to confirm if it is a live weapon.

"The suspects would respond to for sale ads for items such as expensive mobile phones and then arrange to meet the victims – on arrival, the suspects would intimate they were in possession of a firearm and rob them," a spokesperson for the Met described.

"These arrests are the result of some fast-time investigative work following a series of robberies where violence was intimated and the victims genuinely feared for their safety," Detective Inspector Andy Griffin added.