A man has been charged with damaging Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) cameras as the Met launch a crackdown.
The 42-year-old man, who is suspected to belong to a group of underground activists called the ULEZ “Blade Runners”, has been charged with criminal damage and destruction of, or damage to, property.
It follows 96 allegations of criminal damage which were passed to the Met by Transport for London (TfL).
Detective Superintendent Daniel Smith, whose officers are leading the investigation, said: “We have been proactively targeting those we suspect of causing or seeking to cause damage.
“We are carrying out a thorough investigation and this includes gathering CCTV, speaking to potential witnesses and following up active leads.
“We are also working with TfL to prevent further offences in the future.”
The secret activist army has been attacking ANPR cameras that catch out drivers using high-polluting vehicles across London.
Despite the controversy, the London Mayor’s controversial scheme will force Londoners to pay £12.50-a-day to drive in Greater London from August 29, if their cars do not meet certain environmental standards.
ULEZ already covers inner London but has sparked fury in suburban car-reliant boroughs.
Dressed in a balaclava to protect his identity, a member of ULEZ Blade Runners group in his mid-forties had revealed at the beginning of May that he had stolen 34 ULEZ cameras himself, but his group and others like them have taken down hundreds.
Sadiq Khan had previously said the police take vandalism of ULEZ cameras “very seriously”.
A Met Police spokesman had said: “Obviously there’s potential for the potential offences to be investigated as, for instance, criminal damage or theft.”
That meant if the Met ever did investigate one of the incidents and a Blade Runner was found guilty of criminal damage, they could land themselves in jail for up to four years.
The unidentified man had said although he could face prosecution, the “cause” was “worth fighting for”.
(Source: Metropolitan Police)
(Image: Twitter)
