New fleet of bikes to help cops fight back against the thieves
● Seven special F750GSs help police fight against bike thieves
London’s Metropolitan Police have expanded their bike thief catching capability by investing in a fleet of small, agile motorcycles that are well suited to inner city chases. The seven machines, which were unveiled last week, are to be used by specially-trained ‘scorpion’ officers who form part of the Met’s ‘Operation Venice’ – a dedicated task force to stem the capital’s rise in motorcycle theft and mopedrelated crime.
The new BMW F750GS-Ps have been specially-tailored to the specific requirements of the police riders who’ll use them. The Met say that they are well-suited to navigation through London, with their small size and low weight making them more capable of chasing thieves on mopeds than pursuit cars or R1200/R1250RTs. The bikes have undergone a bespoke redesign with BMW who have been able to fit all the kit needed by officers, such as sirens and radios, without adding any bulk. Powered by an 850cc parallel twin, the Met say the new bikes offer more than enough shove while also bringing helpful technology such as traction control, ABS and electronic
● ‘They help us reduce moped crime further’ CHIEF INSPECTOR JIM CORBETT
suspension. The Met are the only police force using these bikes for this purpose.
Chief Inspector Jim Corbett, from the Met’s Operation Venice team, said: “Although my officers have, and continue, to reduce moped-enabled crime, we are not complacent and know that offenders still believe they can evade capture when on mopeds. “These new vehicles will allow our specialist drivers to pursue offenders. Their lightweight design has been specially tailored to help us reduce moped-enabled crime even further.”
The Met are very proud of the results achieved with Operation Venice, having considerably cut moped-related crime since a peak in July 2017. Between December 2017 and November 2018, there were 15,168 mopeds, motorcycles and scooters used in offences. In the same period in 2019 this number fell by 42.5% while motorcycle theft fell by 12.5%. He added: “Whilst we’re pleased to see the number of stolen vehicles and crimes committed reduce, we are calling on the public to help us reduce mopedenabled crime even further by informing the police of any suspicious activity and adding extra security to their bikes.”