Police to use STINGERS to stop bikes!
And officers WON’T go to court if it all ends in a crash
Police officers are being equipped with a raft of new equipment in order to catch thieves who steal motorcycles or use two-wheelers to commit crimes. Controversially, Met police officers are getting stinger devices to use as part of the programme.
Designed to deflate tyres, the stinger is an expanding frame of sharp spikes that is laid on the road directly in front of a vehicle. As the vehicle passes over the spikes the tyre gets punctured and a chase is brought to an end.
Four slender off-road ready BMW F700GS motorcycles have been bought for the Metropolitan Police so officers can chase thieves down narrow alleyways and over patches of rough ground.
And police have been armed with spray cans filled with a substance that can mark fleeing thieves, plus tyredamaging stinger devices which can be used in ambush style scenarios.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick announced the new tactics at the start of November, claiming they were already making a difference with a fall in the number of moped offences.
The specialised equipment and change in approach is part of a wider Met fightback against moped gangs at the centre of the crime epidemic spreading across not only the capital, but the rest of the UK.
In her statement about the new weapons at officers’ disposal, Ms Dick urged London’s communities to ‘mobilise’ and ‘channel their outrage’ against the moped thugs to make the streets safer.
She said: “I have been clear that tackling violence is my priority. I was angered by the apparent perception among some criminals that they could operate with near impunity, committing strings of offences using scooters.
“We have brought all our tactics and specialists together to use every ethical option to put a stop to the rise; arrest those responsible; disrupt offenders; dismantle the criminal markets that make these offences lucrative and change the public’s behaviour to make them a part of our effort.”
The Met says that the new BMWs will be ridden by highly trained motorcycle officers and will be used carefully to target the thieves. One source said: “They will be able to get ahead of moped gangs and set up traps using the mobile stingers or the DNA spray. It gives us much greater flexibility and movement.”
Police officers have already begun using the DNA spray – which is sprayed on suspects who cannot be chased for safety reasons. They can then be arrested later, with the spray substance showing up under UV light to confirm their guilt.
The action follows the recent surge in the number of moped or scooter related offences – but the Met said the latest statistics showed a 25% reduction in the number of powered two wheelers stolen in the last six months to the end of September. There was also a 24% fall in moped related crime over the same period and rising arrest rates and convictions of prolific offenders.
The Met also revealed it is using tactics successfully deployed by the Trident Gangs team to respond to scooter offences – targeting moped riding criminals for other offences where possible. Officers are also manning a 24/7 police control room to watch for scooter offences anywhere in London and co-ordinate an immediate response to tackle them.
Ms Dick said: “We know that our criminal cohort committing crime on scooters also carry knives and have links to networks who handle stolen property and who deal drugs. So if you are a persistent phone thief – using a scooter to commit your crimes – and we can prove your involvement in other offences, such as drug dealing, you will be arrested.
“This is where the public can help us. I want to mobilise communities, to channel their outrage as part of a joint effort to make our streets safer. Look after your belongings, follow our security advice and tell us about the people who are responsible for crime in your communities and help us tackle them.”