TWO men who are wanted in Poland were arrested in the News Shopper region yesterday, during a series of raids across London targetting foreign criminals.

Daniel Bankowski was arrested by the Extradition Unit from the Met at an address in Downham Way, Bromley, yesterday at 6am.

The Polish national is wanted in his home country for assault, criminal damage, and for threatening the life of a witness.

The 23-year-old's arrest warrant was issued on January 8 this year.

Bankowski was sharing a small one-room bedsit with his parents when he was arrested and will now face extradition to Poland.

A 32-year-old Polish man was also arrested on an extradition warrant for suspicion of fraud in his native country.

The man was arrested at an address in Lewisham and is one of 22 extradition arrests across the capital yesterday.

Suspects are alleged to have committed crimes in countries including Spain, France, Poland and America, which had all issued international warrants for their arrest in the last six months.

Those arrested include an alleged rapist, a suspected drug trafficker and one suspect wanted for kidnap.

Police said some of the suspects were from Eastern Europe - from Poland, which joined in 2004, and Romania which joined in January this year - and here legally after they joined the EU and were free to travel to other member states without restrictions.

A spokesman said: "The number of extradition requests did rise by 21 per cent last year and we think it is because of an increase in requests from Eastern Europe.

"Most, if not all, of those targeted today are in Britain legally and most are from the EU."

The requests for extradition came via the Serious and Organised Crime Agency and the Home Office.

Detective Superintendent Nigel Mawer, Head of the Economic and Specialist Crime Directorate, including the extradition unit said: "Yesterday was an extremely successful day in making London a safer city.

"The extradition unit arrested nearly 300 people last year and 170 suspects were successfully removed from this country.

"The officers are out nearly every day of the year arresting alleged criminals wanted in foreign countries.

"They may try to hide within their migrant communities and it can be a challenge to find them, but we are here today to let them know there is no place to hide in London."

Details of those arrested include 11 Poles, aged between 23 and 63, wanted for offences ranging from threats to kill to fraud.

One of the men is a 29-year-old wanted in France for kidnapping.

Also include two Lithuanians, aged 30 and 39, wanted for fraud and rape, an Albanian wanted for armed robbery and a 42-year-old Colombian wanted for drug trafficking in the US, who was arrested in Clapham.

A 60-year-old German wanted for fraud was also arrested, as was a 50-year-old Cypriot wanted for deception in Cyprus.

A 30-year-old Moroccan wanted for trafficking in Spain, a 39-year-old Kuwaiti wanted for child abduction in Denmark and a 29-year-old Irish national wanted for armed robbery in the Republic were also arrested.

Those arrested also included two British nationals, a 45-year-old from Gidea Park wanted for car theft in Belgium and a 67-year-old wanted for drug trafficking in France.

Nineteen men appeared at City of Westminster Magistrates court yesterday and the remaining three will appear today.