French Spiderman stunts have a ‘phenomenal’ impact on business, says City of London Police chief

Daredevils such as the "French Spiderman" who scaled the 754ft high Heron tower are creating "phenomenal" disruption to businesses, the City of London Police commissioner has said.

Ian Dyson said such adrenaline-fuelled acts force the police to close off roads, depriving local businesses of revenue.

Last month Alain Robert, who has also climbed the Empire State Building and some of the world’s tallest skyscrapers, climbed the tower – where Salesforce is headquartered in the UK – without any safety gear or even a rope.

Dyson told City A.M: "If you've got somebody hanging off the side of a building then you've got to close off the road below to prevent them from falling on anyone else," he said, adding that such operations can cost thousands of pounds.

"But is not just the cost to us [police], it's the cost to businesses. It's like when there is a fatal accident and we close a road – the impact on all the businesses is quite phenomenal. It's not helpful."

Following the drama Robert was swiftly arrested and ordered to pay a £5,500 fine. He was also handed a 20-week suspended prison sentence after he pleaded guilty at the City of London Magistrate's Court, which Dyson said was "quite right".

Scaling skyscrapers is not the only trend the police has had to attend to. Over the past year the City witnessed the trend of "urban explorers", where people climb to the top of tall buildings to capture a series of selfie shots.

Dyson said the trend had now tailed off, but added: "When  it does occur, our message is that this is not just a bit of fun, this causes disruption to the life of the City."

In a wide-ranging interview with City A.M., Dyson said that while some drug use "can and always will be a feature of life in the City", it has become less socially acceptable.

Dyson said that while there was evidence of small-scale drug dealing in the City, most of it remained a hidden crime as it was done by "mail order".  Companies have also been effective in releases messages around not taking drugs, he said.