Seven people were arrested in Islington as police took to streets as part of Operation Hawk – a London-wide crackdown on neighbourhood criminals.

The manoeuvre last week saw 90 officers target drug dealers, anti-social behaviour and other crimes that impact on the community.

They made 17 weapon sweeps across the borough and found four knives and several screwdrivers,

They also seized three cars and two stolen mopeds from a garage on the Popham estate, in Popham Street Islington – one of the cars had been stolen in a burglary in 2009.

Mike Wise, Islington’s borough commander, said: “The communities in all wards across Islington are likely to see more operations of this kind from our 16 Safer Neighbourhoods teams, who, through their ongoing engagement, will continue to address local crime and safety concerns to help make our local areas safer.”

Chief Inspector Claire Clark, in charge of neighbourhood policing in Islington, said: “Informing the public of the action taken in response to information received is as important as doing the operations. Only with the public’s support and information, can we effectively tackle the issues that are of concern to communities.”