POLICE BATTLE AGAINST SCOOTER SCUM HOTS UP
But 97% of London’s moped crims are still getting away with it
Over 97% of London’s moped criminals escaped justice in 2017-18, according to the latest figures. New statistics reveal that only a tiny fraction of over 24,000 moped-related incidents in London resulted in a prosecution. To be exact, the Metropolitan Police solved just 2.6% of all moped crimes; 643 of the 24,294 reported in the 12 months to April, compared to 3.1% the previous year.
However, since the introduction of some new police tactics late last year, the Met says its detection rate for these crimes has started to improve significantly.
Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick introduced new measures last October in response to the growing use of scooters and mopeds in robberies, both from stores and members of the public. One of the most high-profile incidents saw comedian Michael McIntyre robbed outside his children’s school. Two men smashed the windows of his Range Rover with a hammer before snatching his Rolex watch. The incident was caught on camera and made national headlines. The new measures in October included the use of ‘tagging spray’ plus the use of new ‘slimline’ patrol bikes, such as BMW’s F800GS, which are adept at carving through traffic to catch the criminals red-handed. Since then, rules on police pursuits have also been relaxed in a bid to tackle scooter crime.
The detection rate began to rise again in April and May this year, when officers solved 4.7% of 2436 offences.
Detective Superintendent Lee Hill, head of the Met’s moped crime unit, said: “Following the introduction in October 2017 of slimline motorcycles, DNA forensic tagging and dedicated Operation Venice teams, we have seen a decline in offences and more offenders being caught and brought to justice.”