Catch me if you can't! Police record more than 500 crimes against Ulez cameras including acts of vandalism and theft – but have only made two arrests

The Met has recorded more than 500 crimes against Ulez cameras including acts of vandalism and theft – but have only made two arrests. 

The force said a total of 510 crimes were recorded between April 1 and August 31, including 159 reports of cameras being stolen and 351 of them being damaged. One crime report can include multiple offences. 

The number of crimes against Ulez equipment has almost doubled in the past month – with the Met recording 288 by August 1. 

Two people have been arrested, with one charged and bailed for trial to June 2024 and the other having the charges against them dropped. 

Ulez was expanded to cover the whole of London on Tuesday, with drivers of vehicles that fail to meet minimum emission standards now required to pay a £12.50 daily fee or risk a £180 fine, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.

Today the Met said a total of 510 crimes against Ulez cameras were recorded between April 1 and August 31. Pictured: A smashed camera in Elmers End, south-east London

A Ulez camera in Feltham that had been sprayed with expanding foam 

London mayor Sadiq Khan has faced strong opposition to the scheme, although a £160 million scheme run by Transport for London (TfL) enables residents, small businesses, sole traders and charities scrapping non-compliant cars to claim grants.

A vigilante group calling themselves the Blade Runners have vowed to target every Ulez camera in London in a bid to cripple Mr Khan’s scheme.

A crowd-sourced map appears to show that 450 of the 1,762 cameras installed to monitor cars in the zone are damaged or missing, The Telegraph reported.

Cameras have been spray painted, stolen and had their wires cut as frustrated drivers push back against the scheme.

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Data collected from Julie’s Ulez Map, a crowd-sourced chart that documents camera locations, shows that six of the 23 boroughs now covered by the zone have had more than a third of their cameras targeted.

The latest data, taken on Thursday, shows that across both the old and existing zone, one in every five – 497 of the 2,692 – recorded cameras have either been removed or are out of commission. 

But analysts allege this increases to one in four when assessing data only from camera installed in the newly expanded zone.

At least a quarter of the camera in London’s newly expanded Ultra Low Emission Zone have been damaged by vandals, new data reveals. Pictured: An anti-ULEZ campaigner poses with vandalised cameras

Two people have been arrested, with one charged and bailed for trial to June 2024 and the other having the charges against them dropped. Pictured: A damaged camera in Harefield

The map also suggests that the borough of Bromley has been worst hit with 83 per cent of its cameras – 100 out of 120 – reported missing or damaged.

Other hard-hit boroughs include Lewisham, Sutton and Bexley at 60 per cent, 57 per cent and 40.8 per cent, respectively.

The map shows that Bromley is the worst hit borough in London, with the map recording 100 (83 per cent) of its 120 cameras as missing or damaged. 

The Met said today: ‘We have, and will continue to, take criminal activity in relation to Ulez seriously and has deployed considerable resources to our operation. 

‘Where there are possible lines of enquiry, local investigators will follow up using a range of investigative approaches including CCTV trawls, witness searches and an assessment of forensic opportunities.

‘To date, Met investigations have led to the arrest of two individuals, one charged and bailed for trial to June 2024 and the other discontinued by the CPS.

‘We continue to monitor anti-Ulez protests, as we do for all potential public order matters, to consider if bespoke policing plans are required. Some events have seen between 200 and 300 people attending.’