Wanted posters for Havering bookies

A ROGUES’ gallery of thugs is to go on display in bookies across Havering in a bid to trace robbers who remain at large.

The wanted posters will use CCTV images of the culprits at the scene of betting shop raids in an effort to get punters who recognise them to get in touch.

The scheme is part of the Met’s Flying Squad Christmas campaign, which is targeting armed robberies across London.

Detective Chief Inspector Ian Corner said: “Armed robberies are extremely frightening experiences for the staff and customers. Hopefully these images will help track down and bring to justice the perpetrators of these calculated and planned offences, which put a number of people in fear of their lives.

Police and betting shop bosses have been working toegther more closely in the past year and claim to have reduced robberies by 42 per cent in the last six months.

“There are some excellent CCTV images out there and technology has really moved on. We want to make it clear to criminals that if you decide to rob one of these venues there’s a good chance that your picture will appear on a wall somewhere.”