Batman and Robin took a break from the battle in Gotham City and raided low-level con artists scamming tourists in central London.
Footage shared by Metropolitan Police on Friday showed a secret agent disguised in superhero costumes working on a man who runs a street entertainment game similar to “3 Cardmonte” near Congress. Police said the game was an illegal gambling business.
In a video filmed by police during the February operation, the officer dressed up Batman was running along the Westminster Bridge wearing a comic book style outfit and a bucket hat and a traditional mask of a character stuck between Robin.
Batman, the real name of his real name, Darren Watson, is caught by Robin, played by police officer Abdi Osman.
The two arrested a man, handcuffed him and grabbed him a “cup and ball game.” In the game, the operator places the balls in one of the 3 cups, shuffles them, urging passersby to bet on where the ball is hidden. However, the game, run by the arrested man, said it was equipped. It was impossible to win as the operator used his hand to move the ball.
A 2017 report on the Metropolitan Police fraud stated that London victims were “mainly tourists,” targeting disposable cash, “unaware of the illegality of street gambling in the UK and not naively aware of the confident tricksters who run the game.”
Some game operators are using accomplices to stimulate confidence in their targets by appearing to bet on the game and win, the report added.
Police said the latest operation on February 15 was part of a wider crackdown on illegal gambling at Westminster Bridge, spreading between Parliamentary Houses and the local tourist attractions, including the London Aquarium.
Gambling is heavily regulated in the UK, and operators must maintain an official license to legally take financial bets from the public members. In central Westminster and other parts of London, tourist-favorite areas require a license for street entertainers and buskers who can only play in designated areas.
Superhero costumes are not common in the area, but police said officers have begun to wear disguises as they are well known to those running scams on the bridge.
“If we were trying to catch them, we knew we had to think outside the box,” said Inspector Watson, who is responsible for local police in the area. “And I remembered getting the Batman and Robin outfits.
“While dressing may not be the most traditional method of policing, I was excited that in this case it worked perfectly and that the team was able to get some great results, drive these people out of the streets and prevent tourists and Londoners from fleeing,” he added.
Two men were eventually arrested on February 15th on suspicion of providing the facility to gamble the facility. Both were later convicted.
