Alarming rise in moped crime
MAYOR VOWS TO IMPLEMENT ZERO TOLERANCE APPROACH TO OFFENCES
FIGURES released by City Hall highlight the alarming rise in moped enabled crime, with an average of 53 incidents a day in the last year.
A total of 19,385 moped enabled crimes were recorded by Metropolitan Police in the 12 months leading to September 2017, as the Mayor implements his “zero-tolerance approach” to moped crime.
Sadiq Khan will bring together police, London’s borough councils and motorcycle users body, Motorcycle Crime Prevent Community, to target the “reckless, frightening, intimidating and completely unacceptable” crimes.
A major focus of the new partnership will be preventing theft of mopeds, with most moped crimes carried out on stolen vehicles.
An action plan for the alliance was devised at a meeting between the authorities on Friday September 8.
Steps to be taken to secure mopeds include providing secure parking bays with ground anchors and CCTV, which require local authority backing.
The deputy mayor for policing and crime, Sophie Linden, has met with moped delivery drivers, including Jabed Hussain, one of the victims of an acid attack spree where five people were attacked in 90 minutes by a pair on a moped.
Metropolitan Police clarified it will not necessarily give up a chase if the driver or passenger on a moped remove their helmet, and that even physical contact is an option.
Mr Khan, said: “Moped crime is reckless, frightening, intimidating and completely unacceptable.
“It will not be tolerated on our streets and it is essential that we all work together to do everything possible to stamp it out.
“Our police officers are working extremely hard to crackdown on perpetrators, deploying dedicated ground operations, building intelligence on offenders, and using prevention work to make the streets hostile territory for criminals who use mopeds, motorbikes and bicycles for robberies and violence.
“Today is about highlighting what more can be done, with the insights of victims and motorcyclists as well as police and local authorities, and doing everything we can to bring these changes in as soon as possible as we continue to tackle this very serious issue and keep these terrible crimes off our streets.”
Met Police Commander Julian Bennett said: “The MPS is working hard to keep the public safe and make the streets hostile territory for criminals who steal scooters, mopeds, and motorbikes and use them to snatch valuables and commit violent crime on members of the public.
“These offenders are cowardly and rely on the unwariness of the public.
“We have already made inroads to tackle this criminality through proactive patrols, operations and intelligence led action on individuals.
“We are also working with industry and councils to better protect vehicles to make them harder to steal.”
Moped crime is reckless, frightening, intimidating and completely unacceptable