By Ray Bonsall & Selin Oztuncman

A controversial metal detector installed at a McDonald’s on Croydon’s Church Street has been removed.

The metal detector was originally installed as part of Operation Cleveland, a borough-wide initiative to tackle violent crime in the area.

The Met Police publicised the instalment of the metal detector on Twitter on February 24 and the launch was covered by various local news outlets. 

However, the instalment was met with controversy as worried users flooded the comment section of the TikToker queenreenthe1st’s post showcasing the metal detector. 

One user commented: “What happens if it goes off? Are the staff expected to search the person?” while other users described the initiative as “sad”. 

Croydon Council’s communications manager, Susie Rundle told ELL: “The arch was a temporary initiative which has now ended.”

Croydon was amongst the top three boroughs with the highest knife crime rate in 2021, following the stabbings of five teenagers within a year.

ELL contacted the Met Police for comment on the removal of the metal detector but were told that our enquiry should be referred to McDonald’s and not the Met.

McDonald’s staff told ELL that they were not permitted to give statements to the media on the matter. 

ELL has been told that the detector had originally been intended to be present between Tuesday to Friday to target school children.

Councillor Ola Kolade told ELL: “Young people are a top priority for Croydon and we work in close partnership with the police, our communities and young people themselves to support them to stay safe on our streets.

“There is a huge amount of preventative work being done by the council, the police and organisations across Croydon to tackle knife crime, and we will be building on this with the launch of our new youth safety action plan later this year.”