Police In London Take To Streets To Randomly Drug Swab People
Some have criticised the operation, saying it was an abuse of power
Police officers in London recently took to the streets to randomly drug test people. Watch below:
The Metropolitan Police recently launched a special Taskforce to patrol the streets of the UK capital at night.
In footage shared by the force, officers can be seen approaching people in Shoreditch and asking them to take random drug swabs, with cops brushing their hands for signs of illegal substances.
Other clips saw men being searched by police.
Sharing the video to it's Twitter account, the Met said it was part of an operation to help keep people safe at night.
It said: "Taskforce Officers were out recently doing drug swabs in Shoreditch as part of a wider operation to ensure the night time economy is a safe place for all."
It's thought that the footage was filmed in the weeks running up to Christmas.
On the Met's website, it announced that 55 people had been arrested as part of the operation, which was focused on protecting women in light of the rise in spiking incidents recorded last year.
The force said: "The upsurge in activity, between Monday, 6 and Sunday, 12 December, included safety patrols of the night time economy, drug swabbing and targeting predatory behaviour reported outside of schools.
"Led by the Territorial Support Group (TSG), officers from an array of units and boroughs across the capital came together to work in areas which have seen a spike in incidents where women and girls have been made to feel unsafe or have been victims of crime."
Speaking about the operation, Chief Inspector Grace Blake-Turner, from the Met’s Taskforce, said it was very successful and officers were able to get a number of criminals off the streets.
He said: "We’ve seen some brilliant collaborative work this week from all the officers involved in this activity.
"They have achieved some significant results, and taken some dangerous individuals off the streets.
"Officers have arrested people for an array of offences including a man wanted in relation to a sexual touching offence, for rape and for assaulting a female police officer."
Chief Inspector Grace Blake-Turner added: "The results from this week show how serious the Met is about catching predatory offenders and removing them from London’s streets.
"This action will not stop because the week of action has now come to a close."
However, some have questioned both the purpose and the legality of random drug tests, suggesting it's an example of an abuse of power.
Criticising the footage, one social media user said: "If police try to stop and swab you: you can refuse. It’s your right.
"While police regularly abuse their power and act outside the law, they have no legal power to forcibly swab or drug test you on the street."
LADbible has contacted the Met Police for a comment.
Featured Image Credit: Metropolitan PoliceDominic Smithers