Covert officers now on streets in Chiswick as part of search

Police have stepped up patrols and are using covert officers on the streets of Chiswick as they continue to search for the suspect who has committed four sexual assaults on women in the Chiswick area in the past few weeks.

Police say they have had a good response to the public appeals for information which might help to lead them to the suspect.

Sgt Dave Turtle said: "We have increased our patrols in the High Road and the surrounding streets. We have two aims in this, firstly we want to provide a visible reassurance to the people of Chiswick and make them feel safe going about their business. Secondly we want to be there to answer questions and also to gather any intelligence that people may want to pass on to us.

"We are also deploying officers in a covert role. We are hoping that nobody else gets assaulted, but we are out there at the key times to try and catch the culprit should he decide to come back. We also have a team of detectives whose full time role is investigating these offences and working to identify the suspect."

He said the police had a really good response from the community to the media releases and the circulation of the 'e fit'. It had given the investigation team some excellent leads to follow.

"We have found that the people in Chiswick are obviously concerned, but are determined to help us in catching this person and we are really appreciate their input.

"The advice we are giving out is based on that of the Suzy Lamplugh trust. The key points being to try and plan the route home, where possible, stay in well lit areas and be aware of your surroundings. When a person has headphones on or is on the phone, they can often become distracted, so be mindful and pay attention to what is happening around you. If in any doubt or you fell threatened, call the police. We would much rather come to a false alarm than have a person be shy of calling when they may be at risk."

If anybody sees a person they think is the suspect, 999 is the route to take. If they have any information about who they think it may be they can call 101, the incident room on 020 8247 6650, or if they wish to remain anonymous, they can call crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The suspect is described as a white male with tanned skin, between 5ft 4ins to 5ft 8ins tall, aged 25 to 30, stocky or athletic build with brown hair. All four women have told police that he spoke to them in Spanish, and at the time of the assaults was wearing a beanie hat and carrying a rucksack.

The attacks took place on Friday, 14 November near a bus stop in Chiswick High Road at 8.15 pm; on Saturday 15 November, at 2 am, as a woman walked along Dukes Avenue towards Hadley Gardens, she was assaulted in Barrowgate Road; At 5am that same day, a woman was assaulted near Ravenscourt Park W6; and Sunday 30 November at 3am a woman walked from CHR to Dukes Avenue, having got off a bus in Turnham Green, she was assaulted in Sharon Road.

Map shows Sharon Road

Two other assaults on women had previously been linked to the same suspect but police are no longer connecting incidents that occurred on 24 November on Fishers Lane and Kingscote Road to the same suspect.

December 12, 2014