DNA spray, spikes and bikes –Met’s kit to take on mopeds

THEY have become the scourge of many major British cities, targeting pedestrians and shops to steal phones and designer goods.

Now gangs of moped thieves will be tackled by police armed with an array of the latest hi-tech gadgets.

The Metropolitan Police, Britain’s largest force, yesterday unveiled new lighter, faster motorcycles officers will use to pursue the gangs. DNA tagging sprays and remote-controlled ‘stinger’ devices will also be deployed to stop the thieves.

The BMW motorcycles can follow suspects down narrow alleyways. The suitcase-sized stinger safely deflates scooter tyres and can be used to block two escape routes at once.

The indelible chemical spray, which contains a unique chemical code, shows up under UV light and remains detectable for several weeks. It has already been used to link suspects to crimes.

The Daily Mail has highlighted how scooter gangs are bringing misery to thousands by snatching bags and phones. The gangs have also stolen goods worth millions in ram-raids on upmarket stores.

The thugs, who travel in pairs or larger groups, use highly manoeu- vrable stolen scooters and disguise their appearance with masks. In the year to September there were more than 19,385 ‘moped enabled’ crimes in the capital, an average of 53 a day.

Met Commissioner Cressida Dick said she was shocked at the ‘extraordinary’ surge in moped crime and angry that violent teenage thieves believe they can oper- ate ‘with near impunity’. She called on ‘smartphone zombies’ – who walk along the pavement while staring at their mobiles, particularly near Tube stations – to look up from their devices and keep watch to protect themselves.

Efforts to identify the gangs behind the robberies, who are often also linked to knife, gun and drug crime, is finally paying divi- dends, Miss Dick said. Police revealed that suspects, almost all of whom are teenage boys, are sharing information about police operations and potential victims on secret WhatsApp groups.

Officers dismissed as a myth claims that they will abandon pursuit of a moped on health and safety grounds if the suspects throw off their helmets.