More than 100 convicted in MPS data-driven crackdown on VAWG

The MPS’s cutting-edge V100 programme uses data to identify and target the men who pose the highest risk to women.

This allows the force to focus the efforts of local and specialist officers across London on reducing the threat posed by the most dangerous perpetrators and protecting potential victims.

The level of risk is assessed using crime reports alongside a tool which measures the seriousness of harm to victims, known as the Cambridge Crime Harm Index.

The V100 stack of the most harmful offenders is updated each month. The programme has more than doubled the risk of arrest for the most harmful VAWG suspects compared with before the initiative existed. Around three-quarters of those on the V100 stack are accused of rape and multiple sexual assaults, as well as murder.

To date a total of 126 people have been charged with 574 offences, including rape, grievous bodily harm (GBH), non-fatal strangulation and attempted murder.

There have been 155 arrests  for a total of 1,246 offences.

Of those 103 relate to VAWG – 42 for rape, 18 for GBH and 17 for non-fatal strangulation.

“Our approach to protecting women and girls from violent perpetrators is multi-faceted,” the MPS said.

“Local officers are being prioritised towards arresting and interviewing wanted suspects,  there is an enhanced manhunt team for wanted high-risk suspects, using specialist assets and covert techniques to track them down, and we are working with victims to ensure all safeguarding opportunities are exhausted and that their voices are considered in the planned action.”

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ben Russell, the MPS’s V100 lead, said: “Every woman and girl in London deserves to feel safe, whether walking home at night, travelling on public transport, at home, or simply going about their daily lives. Yet far too many don’t feel that way.

“We are relentlessly focused on those who pose the biggest threat, working hard to intervene before they strike again.

“Reaching 100 convictions is an important milestone, but our work is far from over. This is about more than just statistics or crime reports. It’s about ensuring that every woman in London feels seen, heard, and protected.”

Among the most significant convictions to date is that of Adam Baillie, 39, of Springway, Harrow, who was sentenced to life in prison last month, with minimum of ten years behind bars, for the kidnap, false imprisonment and sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl in Harrow in April 2024.

Convicted drug dealer Jason Phinn, 36, of Bournville, Birmingham, was jailed for the manslaughter of his mother at their home in Brixton in November 2023. The 35-year-old was under the influence of drugs when he was arrested by officers while the victim, 64, lay seriously injured inside their property. Phinn was sentenced to 13 years in prison at Croydon Crown Court.

Louis Collins, 30, of no fixed address, was handed a life sentence for rape, kidnap and 22 other related offences in July 2024. He will serve a minimum term of 11 years and five months for attacking eight women in the space of four days in London last summer, which included raping a woman at knifepoint in a park and attempting to rape another after following her home.

An additional 565 officers and staff have been drafted into public protection roles across the force aimed at enhancing our domestic abuse, rape and sexual offence investigation team to enable a better service for victims.

There has also been investment in better training for more than 20,000 frontline officers to improve the initial response to domestic abuse and stalking incidents, where the number of people arrested and charged with rape and serious sexual offences has more than doubled since 2022, from 3.9 per cent to just over nine per cent.

Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, Jess Phillips, said: “Every woman has a fundamental right to feel safe. 100 offenders convicted by the Met Police means 100 more dangerous men off our streets – a powerful achievement for the Met’s V100 initiative.

“Delivering a consistent national approach in the use of these data-driven tools to identify and pursue the most dangerous perpetrators is a core part of our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. We are cracking on alongside our policing partners to achieve this.”

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “VAWG has no place in London and I fully support the renewed action being taken by the Met to identify and go after the most dangerous and violent predators.

“This work is supported by record funding from City Hall and is transforming the way the Met tackles violence against women and girls, ensuring perpetrators who pose the greatest risk are arrested and convicted – protecting victims from the worst offenders and making our streets safer.

“I am really encouraged by this progress, but we know there is still work to do. I remain committed to doing everything I can to support the Met’s action, investing in vital services that support victims and important intervention work that stops perpetrators from reoffending. Working together is the only way to end violence against women and girls and build a safer London for everyone.”

Ada Ibezi, chair of the MPS’s Independent Advisory Group on VAWG, added: “I welcome the news that this initiative has, to date, taken over 100 dangerous offenders off the streets. This clearly highlights the work that the Met is doing to tackle violence against women and girls.

“For too long, perpetrators like these have preyed on women – some of whom are vulnerable with nowhere else to turn – believing they could act with impunity, moving from one victim to another.

“By using a data-driven, intelligence-led approach, the Met is making policing more precise and effective, significantly increasing the likelihood of perpetrators of VAWG being apprehended and successfully convicted.”