Batman and Robin have taken a break from fighting crime in Gotham City to swoop on low-level scammers swindling tourists in the center of London.
Footage shared by the Metropolitan Police on Friday showed undercover officers disguised in the superhero costumes tackling a man who was running a street entertainment game similar to “three-card monte” near Parliament. The police said the game was an illegal gambling operation.
In the video, filmed by the police during an operation in February, the officer dressed as Batman could be seen running along Westminster Bridge wearing the character’s traditional mask, flanked by Robin in a comic book-style costume and bucket hat.
Batman, whose real name is Inspector Darren Watson, pushed through a crowd of tourists watching the suspect’s game, flanked by Robin, played by Police Constable Abdi Osman.
The pair arrested one man, handcuffed him and seized a “cup and ball game.” In the game, the operator places a ball under one of three cups, shuffles them around, then encourages passers-by to bet on where the ball is concealed. But the game run by the arrested man, police said, was rigged: It was impossible to win because the operator would move the ball using sleight of hand.
A 2017 report on the scam by the Metropolitan Police said victims in London were “predominantly tourists,” because they are targeted for disposable cash and are “unaware of the illegality of street gambling in the U.K., and naïve to the confidence tricksters who run the games.”
Some of the game operators use accomplices to inspire confidence in targets by appearing to bet on the game and win, the report added.
The police said their most recent operation, on Feb. 15, was part of a wider crackdown on illegal gambling on Westminster Bridge, which stretches between the Houses of Parliament and an area housing tourist attractions including the London Aquarium.
Gambling is heavily regulated in Britain, and operators must hold an official license to lawfully take monetary bets from members of the public. In central Westminster and other areas of London popular with tourists, licenses must also be obtained by street entertainers and buskers, who can only perform in designated areas.
While superhero costumes are not common in the area, the police said its officers had started to wear disguises because they had become well known to people running scams on the bridge.
“I knew that if we were going to catch them we would have to think outside the box,” said Inspector Watson, who is responsible for local policing in the area. “And then I remembered that I had Batman and Robin costumes to hand, which could come in use.”
“Although dressing up may not be the most conventional policing method, we were thrilled to see that in this case it worked perfectly and the team were able to get some great results, taking these people off the street and protecting tourists and Londoners from being fleeced,” he added.
Two men were ultimately arrested on suspicion of providing the facilities to gamble on Feb. 15. Both were later convicted.
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