A police officer has been taken to hospital after being stabbed in the leg during dawn raids across London and four counties targeting a suspected organised crime gang.

The officer was injured during an early morning raid in Cockfosters, Barnet, in north London on Tuesday. According to the Metropolitan Police, the officer was taken to hospital for treatment and their injury is not life-changing.

The operation saw officers search 24 separate addresses early on Tuesday morning. Raids took place across the capital as well as in Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk.

In total, 17 people were arrested during the multi-county swoop. The Met confirmed that 15 men, aged between 26 and 65, and two women, aged 31 and 41, were taken into custody.

A 56-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm in relation to the stabbing of the officer.

The wider investigation spans a broad range of alleged financial and violent crime. Twelve men and one woman were arrested on suspicion of participating in the activities of an organised crime group. Other offences under investigation include money laundering, cheating the public revenue, false accounting, and conspiracy to commit GBH.

Alongside the physical arrests, regulatory authorities have stepped in to disrupt business operations linked to the network. The Met said the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has disrupted seven businesses and is actively pursuing another 30.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: "These arrests mark a significant point in this investigation. Those arrested are suspected of leading or being involved at a senior level in serious and organised crime and related financial offending."

The Met spokesperson added: "We know the impact of serious and organised crime stretches well beyond those at senior levels of the organisations involved. Lines can often be drawn from the top, all the way to those involved in the criminality that blights communities, including serious violence and exploitation."

The operation required joint working between police forces and financial regulators. An HMRC spokesperson said: "Today’s action highlights the importance of close collaboration between HMRC and other law enforcement partners in tackling serious and organised crime, including suspected money laundering and other criminal activity."

What we do not know yet are the individual names of the suspects or whether formal charges have been filed following their interviews. Detectives will now be reviewing the evidence seized from all 24 raided properties, and I will keep you updated as this develops — check back for updates.