Over 150 officers with the Metropolitan Police took part in an operation targeting "gang activity" and associated crimes in south London on Saturday (August 7).

They seized some 26 vehicles and made eight arrests, while stolen goods worth an estimated £30,000 were also recovered.

The police actions targeted criminality in Bromley, Croydon and Sutton, and were aimed at "disrupting county lines drug dealing and gang activity", a Met spokesperson said.

The force meanwhile offered further details of their actions, which included stopping 367 with the use of "intelligence and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) to hone in on hotspot areas known for violent crime and drug dealing, including main roads in and out of south London".

"Because those behind county lines dealing often exploit young and vulnerable people to transport drugs across the country, specially trained officers were on hand to assist anyone found who was in need of safeguarding," the Met added.

Chief Superintendent Dave Stringer, police commander for Croydon, Sutton and Bromley, said of the day's operation: "I am incredibly proud of what we achieved thanks to the Met’s hard-working officers. It was remarkable to see such a wide range of specialist skills from so many different units brought together to tackle the problems of county lines and violence. I’d like to thank everyone involved, including officers from our Special Constabulary who volunteer their time to police the streets of London and to support crucial operations such as this. I’d like to make it clear that while this may have been an intense day of action, it was a snapshot of the excellent work that is going on 365 days a year across London. We will continue to target those bringing misery to communities."

Law enforcement authorities including the Met continue to point to an "inextricable link" between illegal drugs and violent crime in society.

Yet a large number of academic studies including a paper published last year by the Social Science Research Network argue the policy of banning and criminalising substances, the 'War on Drugs', has correlated with increased violence in society because it forces the drug trade into the underground black market.