Video appears to capture Johnson taking part and speaking to man in police raid

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Video Appears To Capture Johnson Taking Part And Speaking To Man In Police Raid
Boris Johnson, © PA Wire/PA Images
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By Ben Hatton, Dominic McGrath, PA

A video posted on social media appears to capture Boris Johnson taking part in a police raid and being filmed by and speaking to a man already in the property.

The video posted on social media comes after the UK prime minister attended a police raid on Wednesday with specialist officers near Lewisham, south London.

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“Bro, how the f*** did I get raided and Boris Johnson’s there,” a man says to camera in the video posted online.

The footage then cuts to what looks to be the inside of a home where a man carrying the camera opens a door to find police officers and what appears to be Boris Johnson wearing a form of protective vest and standing just behind the officers.

Boris Johnson
Mr Johnson leaves the area after viewing a drugs-related raid by Metropolitan Police officers in West Norwood, London (Peter Nicholls/P

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“Wagwan Boris,” the man holding the phone says, which is a form of saying “what’s going on” in Jamaican slang.

“Good morning, how are you doing?” Mr Johnson appears to say in response.

No arrests were made during the raid.

Mr Johnson joining the police for the raid comes ahead of his resignation, due next week, as he takes part in a number of visits across the country, that has been dubbed a farewell tour.

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The outgoing UK prime minister used the opportunity to stress his record on tackling crime.

The visit came after the Telegraph reported that officers are being told to focus on the basics of policing by UK home secretary Priti Patel, with a report by the Policy Exchange think tank warning that the public feel police are being distracted by “woke” causes.

Speaking to broadcasters after the raid, Mr Johnson appeared to defend the police from accusations of being “too woke”.

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Boris Johnson
Mr Johnson speaks to the media at a police station in south-east London (Peter Nicholls/PA)

Mr Johnson said: “Look at neighbourhood crime, which is the thing that really affects the quality of life of most people in this country, and it’s down by about 38 per cent on 2019 since this Government came in.

“I think that’s a great effort by the police, not just by the Metropolitan Police, by police up and down the country.

“And what you’re seeing is 13,700-odd more police now on the streets. That helps, that makes a difference.”

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The UK government says more than 13,790 extra police officers have been hired across England and Wales as part of Mr Johnson’s pledge to put 20,000 additional officers on the streets.

The recruitment drive came after police officer numbers in England and Wales fell by more than 20,000 between 2009 and 2018, with Conservative-led governments in power from May 2010.

Boris Johnson
Mr Johnson and Stephen House, acting commissioner of the Metropolitan Police service (Peter Nicholls/PA)

The prime minister also appeared to downplay concerns that the police are distracted by “woke” issues.

“Well, I’ve just seen them. I tell you what, I’ve just seen a bunch of police officers who woke quite a lot of drug dealers this morning, and they woke them long before they were expecting to have their breakfast,” he said.

“They woke them with warrants, and they woke them with the news that they were under arrest for causing misery in the communities of London.

“And that’s what I want the police to do, that’s what Priti wants them to do.

“I thank them for what they’re doing. They’re doing an absolutely fantastic job.”

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