Man arrested over alleged theft of Banksy street sign
A man has been arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage after the removal of a Banksy art installation in Peckham, south-east London, the Metropolitan Police said.
The piece of street art â a traffic stop sign covered with three aircraft resembling military drones â was revealed at the intersection of Southampton Way and Commercial Way in Peckham at midday on Friday.
Less than an hour after Banksy confirmed it was genuine by posting a photo of it on social media, witnesses saw the artwork being removed by a man with bolt cutters.
The force said it has received a report of theft and the âincident is currently being investigated by officersâ.
The stop sign has since been replaced to avoid endangering road users, police confirmed.
A spokesperson added: âWe are aware of footage being shared which shows the sign being removed.
âAnyone who may have information about the incident or the whereabouts of the sign is asked to call police.â
The deputy leader of Southwark Council, Jasmine Ali, has since called for the piece to be returned so âeveryone in the community can enjoy Banksyâs brilliant workâ.
In a statement, Ms Ali said: âOf course Banksy picked Peckham, itâs already on the map when it comes to art and is a hotbed for creativity.
âIt should not have been removed and weâd like it back so everyone in the community can enjoy Banksyâs brilliant work.
âWe have reported the removal of our sign to the police to help get it back.â
A man who witnessed the removal of the artwork said onlookers âwatched in aweâ as a man âbashed it with his handsâ.
To get to the installation, the witness, who wanted to be referred to only as Alex, rode a Lime bike which was then used by a man who removed the art from the south London street.
He said the man stood on the Lime bike and first attempted to âhit it with his handsâ before leaving and returning with bolt cutters.
Alex, 26, recalled: âWe said, âWhat are you doing?â but no-one really knew what to do, we sort of just watched it happen.
âWe were all a bit bemused, there was some honking of car horns. He ripped it off and ran across the road and ran away.
âHe said nothing. He didnât seem to care that much about the art itself.â
Photos from the scene show a man wearing a red and black jacket using a Lime bike to prop himself up, with one foot placed on the saddle and the other on the handle bars, while the bike is held steady by another man.
A further image shows the man in red and black running in front of a white van with the stop sign after successfully managing to remove it.
It is understood that Banksy is not behind the removal and this is not the first time the artistâs work has been removed shortly after its installation.
A mural weighing 3.8 tonnes called Valentineâs Day Mascara appeared on the side of a house in Margate, Kent, on Valentineâs Day this year and was dismantled some hours later after Banksy had shared a series of photos of it online.
The mural depicted a 1950s housewife with a swollen eye and missing tooth, wearing an apron and yellow washing-up gloves, and throwing a man into a chest freezer.
In September, the mural was placed in the foyer of The Art Of Banksy exhibition in Regent Street, central London, where it can be viewed for free.
The exhibition features pieces including Girl With Balloon, Flower Thrower and Rude Copper and also focuses on Banksyâs Dismaland, The Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem and recent works acknowledging the ongoing war in Ukraine.