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Met Police

Police have released an image of a man they are trying to find after an officer was attacked during a protest in central London.

On 24 August, supporters of Tommy Robinson demonstrated outside the BBC's London headquarters, while an associated counter-protest by groups including Stand up to Racism was held at the same time.

Soon after 11:30, several people tried to breach a police cordon and "an officer was violently pushed by one or more people", Scotland Yard said.

Det Sgt Chris Rudd said: “Assaults on police officers – who are there to ensure the safety of those attending such protests – are entirely unacceptable and we will work tirelessly to investigate incidents of this nature."

A woman, aged in her 30s, was previously arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer in connection with the attack. She has been bailed until a date in late September.

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A fourth man has been arrested after a man was killed in a knife fight at a chicken shop in south-east London.

Omar Smith and a second man were found with stab and head injuries after police were called to the shop in Downham Way, Grove Park, at about 23:55 on Friday.

Both were taken to hospital and 34-year-old Mr Smith was pronounced dead the next day.

The second man, a 51-year-old, was released from hospital and arrested on suspicion GBH along with a 40-year-old man and a 46-year-old man. They were all then further arrested on suspicion of murder.

The Met Police said a fourth man, aged 25, had been arrested on suspicion of murder on Monday and remains in custody.

The 51-year-old man and the 46-year-old man have been been bailed to a date in mid-October while the 40-year-old man has been released under investigation.

A serving member of police staff has been charged with theft.

Agnes Alexander, 60, from the Central South Command Unit, was arrested on 2 September following an investigation by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards. She has been bailed to appear at Camberwell Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. She has been suspended from duty while criminal proceedings take place, police said.

Workers on parts of London Underground have voted for industrial action over claims they face increased levels of violence and anti-social behaviour.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union on the eastern end of the District Line will only work from a place of safety from the end of the month when lone-working and will not attend incidents on trains by themselves.

The union said a female member of staff was attacked in her office by a passenger and others have been threatened.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "There has been an explosion of violent crime and sexual offences across the network and our members are bearing the brunt of it, particularly on the District Line."

A Transport for London spokesman said: "Our staff work hard to assist our customers and keep London moving. They deserve to go about their day without fear or intimidation, in safety.

"We have met with the RMT to reiterate our commitment to ensuring the safety of our staff and outline the steps we have taken to address their feedback.

"We will continue to engage with them to ensure all staff feel safe and secure while performing their duties."

In addition to the Section 60 around Edgware Road, another has been authorised for the same period of time in parts of Wandsworth and Richmond.

The move follows a number of stabbings which happened in the area within the space of 30 minutes. These are all being treated as linked by Scotland Yard.

Police were first called to Burston Road at 10:42 BST after reports of an attack where it was reported the injured man had left the scene in a white saloon car.

At 10:48 officers went to Eastleigh Walk over reports of a fight where a man, aged in his 20s, was found with stab injuries. He was taken to hospital and police are waiting for an update on his condition.

Then at about 11:10 another man, aged in his 20s, arrived at a south London hospital with a stab wound. His condition was found to not be life-threatening and he was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm.

The decision to impose a Section 60 follows the killing of a 17-year-old boy who was stabbed to death in Edgware Road on Tuesday.

The order gives police officers increased powers to carry out stop and searches in the area.

LDRS

The number of homeless people in Westminster who have come from the rest of Europe has seen a spike this summer before Brexit, according to a report.

And some rough sleepers bedding down in Westminster could have been victims of human trafficking, a senior politician has revealed.

It comes as the latest data revealed that there are “very high levels of new people coming to the streets of Westminster from around the world”.

A street count in July found 389 people on the street – with just 123 who said they were from the UK and Ireland.

This means there are “significant challenges” and limited help on offer for people who are not entitled to welfare support.

The first three months of the year saw 434 new people on Westminster streets, a drop from the previous quarter of 504, but still up on previous years.

Councillor Adams said people are attracted to the borough which includes the seat of government and tourist destinations as “all main railway lines and a lot of roads end up here.”

However, he said eight in 10 new arrivals do not spend a second night on the street, but get linked with support services.

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About 16 shops are closing every day as retailers restructure their businesses and more shopping moves online.

A net 1,234 stores shut on Britain's top 500 high streets in the first half of the year, according to research by PwC and the Local Data Company.

That is up from 1,123 in the same period last year and the highest since the survey began in 2010.

Fashion retailers saw the biggest declines in the period, followed by restaurants, estate agents and pubs.

Greater London saw the largest number of net closures of any region, although when taking into account its higher number of shops, its closure rate was in line with the national average.

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