A street robber will be spending Christmas behind bars thanks to Islington’s eagle-eyed CCTV operators.

Papa Sylla, 25, was spotted acting suspiciously in Sheperdess Walk by the council CCTV team in the early hours of September 10. Using remote-control cameras, the team tracked Sylla and saw him follow a woman, who he pushed to the ground and robbed of her mobile phone.

Operators contacted police and Sylla was arrested. CCTV footage formed part of the prosecution’s evidence.

Islington Police praised the CCTV operators.

Pc Paul Dring said: “The excellent footage of the incident from the CCTV team enabled us to quickly identify and arrest Sylla. This violent man has now been brought to justice and we will continue to work with Islington Council CCTV team to prevent crime and catch criminals in the borough.”

Cllr Barbara Sidnell, the council’s executive member for community safety, said: “We are committed to a safer Islington for everyone, with less crime and anti-social behaviour, and CCTV is a big part of that. This work shows that robbers can’t expect to carry out crime here and get away with it.”

Sylla, of Langham Close, Haringey, was sentenced to 15 months in prison at Blackfriar’s Court on October 28.