Gambling gangs taken down by London police officers in disguise

Metropolitan Police

According to the Metropolitan Police, Westminster Bridge has become a hotbed of illegal gambling activity; with gangs targeting tourists taking pictures along the bridge across the River Thames. So it’s a good thing Batman and Robin turned up to stop criminals in their tracks!

The Batman and Robin undercover duo that were sprinting along the bridge on 15 February were two police officers who dismissed the scenic views of Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster to take part in an undercover sting operation.

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There was no bat signal raised, Christian Bale didn’t transform from Bruce Wayne into Batman, and London is a legitimate area, whereas Gotham is not. 

However, Batman and Robin still sped through a whole host of onlookers in order to bust the latest criminals in town.

Gangs target tourists by inviting them to participate in games such as “shell game” or the “three cups challenge” according to police. 

These tricks, which are often fixed, involve tourists attempting to guess which cup a rapidly moving ball is under.

Whilst tourism hotspots are usually well examined by the police, and therefore officers are well acquainted with repeat offenders, the gangs know and can recognise the police officers. Therefore, they’re quick to pack up and leave before they are caught in the act.

Inspector Darren Watson, who was dressed as Batman on the day, claimed: “I knew that if we were going to catch them, we would have to think outside the box”.

Having remembered the costumes he had on hand, he dressed up with counterpart Abdi Osman becoming Robin.

Times Square in New York is renowned for a variety of characters being able to charge tourists to pose for pictures with them. And said characters frequent Westminster Bridge, so the idea was a genius one in merely looking to blend in with the crowd.

However, the plan was excellent but the execution was not so. Batman and Robin were the only characters visible in the video released by police, dashing through the crowd, before Watson got his hands on one of the suspects.

The disguised dynamic duo arrested Eugen Stocia (32) and Constica-Gheorghe Barbu (53) on suspicion of providing the facilities to gamble. Barbu was fined around £925 after being convicted two days later. 

Stocia was convicted in absence on Thursday after failing to appear in court, and a warrant is out for his arrest. Neither Stocia nor Barbu were available for comment, after being unable to reach.

“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,” Watson continued in his statement.

In a video posted on X, the Met Police said “We will continue to target those involved, arrest them and continue to put them in the courts,” when claiming that crime on the bridge was an ongoing target. Watson and the Metropolitan Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.