London Bangla A Force for the community…
THE Metropolitan Police have seen 100 offenders convicted for crimes of violence against women and girls (VAWG) since it launched a new campaign – V100 – to tackle the problem.
The V100 programme identifies the men who pose the highest risk to women, and then local and specialist officers concentrate on reducing the threat that they pose. The level of risk the men pose is assessed by measuring the “seriousness harm to victims” against the Cambridge Crime Harm Index. The list of the 100 most harmful offenders is updated every month.
The V100 process has apparently doubled the risk of arrest for those accused of the most harmeful violent crimes. The new method has led to:
•126 people being charged with 574 offences, most of them very serious ones;
•155 arrests being mde for a total of 1,246 offences, of which 103 relate to violence against women.
The Met explains that local officers arrest and interview suspects, but specialist officers work on finding the high-risk suspects identified by the process. Victims and survivors are kept informed of progress.
●East London offenders
The V100 programme has helped arrest the following criminals.
Aaron Bennett
●Aaron Bennett, 36, of Shacklewell Road, Hackney, was investigated between 2022 and 2024, before being arrested and charged. In August 2024 he was convicted of offences against women including Grievous Bodily Harm and assault. He was sentenced to five and a half years in prison.
Kennith Ebbah
●Kennith Ebbah, 42, of Dellow Street, Tower Hamets was accused of rape by two women, who were support by the police during their investigation. Ebbah was found guilty of the rapes, and last November he was jailed for 18 years and put on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ben Russell leads the V100 operation. Celebrating the milestone of 100 convictions, he said, “Every woman and girl in London deserves to feel safe, whether walking home at night, travelling on public transport, at home, or simply going about their daily lives.”
He went on to explain that the focus on those who pose the biggest threat is intended to stop them from committing further violent criminal acts. “…our work is far from over,” he said. “This is more than just statistics or crime reports. It’s about ensuring that every woman in London feels seen, heard, and protected.”
The force has also increased the amount of training officers receive – more than 20,000 frontline officers have been trained to improve the initial response to domestic abuse and stalking incidents. The number of people arrested and charged with rape and serious sexual offences has more than doubled since 2022.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan gave his full support to the Met for the V100 programme. “I remain committed to doing everything I can to support the Met’s action,” he said, “investing in vital services that support victims and important intervention work that stops perpetrators from reoffending.”
●Read more about it:
More stories about crime
