Smash and grab gangs on mopeds attack every hour
A CRIME is committed every hour by moped-riding thugs, figures revealed last night.
More than 11,389 incidents – an average of 31 a day – including thefts, robberies and acid attacks took place in the capital last year.
And officers fear they are in the grip of a moped crime epidemic with similar offences taking place in all the country’s major urban centres.
The figures came as the Metropolitan Police released footage of a foreign tourist breaking his leg as he was hunted down by moped-riding muggers.
The tourist in his 30s was targeted as he walked outside a hotel in London’s Park Lane, famous for its luxury hotels and boutique showrooms.
CCTV cameras show the moment he realises he is being followed by eight robbers on four mopeds who have seen his expensive watch.
One of the would-be thieves gestures to another as they mount the pavement, forcing bystanders to leap out of the way. After trying to escape by walking between parked cars, the victim attempts to run away only to be sent sprawling as a moped hits him from behind.
Despite his serious injury, the man still manages to crawl away as the robbers flee empty handed in the chaotic melee.
On Saturday, the Daily Mail also reported how a gang of moped- riding thieves bran- dished a hammer and tyre iron at pedestrians outside the BBC’s landmark headquarters just off Oxford Street.
Chief officers suspect young thugs are emboldened by the mistaken belief that frontline officers are afraid to tackle them in case they are seriously injured.
In some cases thieves have even filmed themselves being chased as they laugh at police before posting the footage online. But officers in London have launched a specialist operation in a bid to catch moped-riding robbers and smash-andgrab thieves.
Some areas have invested in off-road motorcycles, while specialist drivers have been trained to ram mopeds off the road.
Earlier this year a police helicopter recorded the moment a police pursuit ended when officers smashed into the back of a bike, sending its rider and pillion passenger sprawling. The epidemic is focused on busy areas where thieves prey on unwitting commuters and shoppers who are often distracted by their phones.
Police in one of the areas most badly affected released a map at the weekend showing how 20 moped thefts took place in one square mile in just one week.
The Met have drawn up a list of about 200 people who they believe may be responsible for the majority of the moped-related offences.
But crimes such as these are often hard to prosecute because of the difficulty in securing evidence as the identity of offenders is often disguised.
Met Chief Superintendent Peter Ayling said the ‘ vast majority’ of moped thefts were ‘opportunistic’.
He said: ‘It is a top priority to identify and arrest these reckless offenders who have little regard for their own safety, or the safety of others.’
Outside London, similar crimes have occurred in most major cities, including Manchester, Newcastle and Birmingham. In one case an 84-year-old woman suffered serious injuries when she was robbed by two teenagers on a moped who stole her bag in Harlow, Essex.
In Manchester, a woman in her 70s was punched in the face and thrown to the pavement by two men on a moped who stole her handbag and gold bracelets.