When a couple of illegal gamblers attempted to “fleece” tourists on Westminster Bridge in February, they could never have expected two Metropolitan police officers to show up dressed as Batman and Robin to arrest them.
But as fans of the 1996 Only Fools and Horses Christmas Special will know, a dynamic duo of men who fight crime in cosplay costumes can appear at any time, anywhere.
Unlike Delboy and Rodney, who accidentally interrupted a robbery dressed as Batman and Robin while running to a fancy dress party, the police officers deliberately disguised themselves as the caped crusader and his sidekick in order to catch the criminals unawares.
At the time, illegal gambling gangs were targeting tourists on the bridge with games known as the “three cups challenge” and “shell game”, police said. But because the local Met officers became so well known to these gangs, the police had to come up with “creative plans” to “deliver vengeance”.
Insp Darren Watson, who is responsible for local neighbourhood policing in Lambeth North West and is now “also known as Batman”, said: “We know that two repeat offenders have been operating on Westminster Bridge and have come to recognise me and my team from our patrols.
“I knew that if we were going to catch them we would have to think outside the box, and then I remembered that I had Batman and Robin costumes to hand which could come in use.
“Although dressing up may not be the most conventional policing method, we were thrilled to see that in this case it worked perfectly and the team were able to get some great results, taking these people off the street and protecting tourists and Londoners from being fleeced.”
Eugen Stocia, 32, of no fixed address and Constica-Gherorghe Barbu, 53, of Herbert Road, Greenwich were arrested on 15 February for providing the facilities to gamble.
Barbu was convicted at Croydon magistrates court in February after being remanded by police and fined £925.
Stocia was convicted in absence at Westminster magistrates court on 10 April after failing to appear in court. A warrant is out for his arrest.
Source: theguardian.com
