Met Police clamps down on movie pirates

The Met's Film Piracy Unit will target organised networks that profit from film piracy

The Metropolitan Police has joined forces with the Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact) to target organised criminal networks involved in the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit films.

The Film Piracy Unit, a dedicated section of the Met's Economic and Specialist Crime Directorate, is investigating film piracy alongside the UK film and broadcast industry's anti-piracy organisations.

Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, who has responsibility for the Specialist Crime Directorate, said: "This partnership launch with Fact provides us with a welcome opportunity to concentrate on an area of criminality which is often regarded as victimless.

"As film piracy is often linked to other criminal activity, we can reduce the negative impact it has on the communities of London by dismantling the organised criminal networks involved."

Raymond Leinster, director general of Fact, added that the Film Piracy Unit will assist Fact in addressing and confronting the threats from organised networks which make significant profits from film piracy.

"To understand the negative impacts on communities and the wider society, you only have to examine the wide range of other criminal activities associated with film piracy, such as benefit fraud, offensive weapons and exploitation of children," he said.