Carl Robinson from Stanford Rivers among three people charged after major suspected organised crime gang raids yesterday

THREE men have been charged with unrelated offences after 18 people were arrested yesterday during raids across London and the Home Counties targeting a suspected major organised crime group.

Charles Charalambous, 56 (24.11.69) of Claremont Road, Cockfosters, will appear in court this morning following the stabbing of a police officer on Tuesday.

He was charged overnight with wounding with intent to cause GBH to resist arrest.

He was remanded in custody to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court this morning.

The charge relates to an incident in the early hours of Tuesday, 29 September when a Met officer who was executing a warrant in Cockfosters, as part of the wider operation targeting the suspected organised crime group, was stabbed in the leg.

He was taken to hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

Two other men arrested as part of the same wider operation have also been charged overnight and will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court this morning.

Carl Robinson, 49 (25.06.77) of Stanford Rivers, near Ongar, Essex was charged with possession of offensive weapons in a private place, namely three knives.

Bradley Byford, 37 (30.07.89) of Spellbrook Lane East, Bishop’s Stortford was charged with possession of a weapon to discharge a noxious thing, namely electricity.

All three men remain under investigation as part of the wider investigation and have been bailed for those offences.

A total of 18 people were arrested as part of Tuesday’s operation - 17 were arrested in the morning followed by one further arrest later in the day. The offences for which they were arrested are complex in nature and require extensive investigative work and the detailed examination of evidence both before and after the arrest stage.

All have been bailed while the investigation continues.