Cops get nasty on thieves
RIDE readers give police the thumbs up
THE MET’S RECENT release of footage of force cars knocking off scooter and bike criminals has been met with almost universal acclaim from bikers. The footage, of officers ramming riders of stolen bikes and mopeds, shows police are getting serious in the battle against thieves.
In recent years, police have been inundated by reports of stolen bikes up and down the country, as bike crime rises. Towns like London and Bristol are worst-off, with crimes using stolen bikes growing hugely in the last five years. Despite progress with two-wheeled crime, almost 30,000 bikes were stolen in 2017 — and that doesn’t include those taken from people’s houses or obtained in a fraudulent manner.
This has been combined with the rise of two-wheeler-riding criminals, who use stolen big-capacity scooters and 125s to evade the police. “These aren’t bikers, or enthusiasts who fancy a new bike,” says Britain’s leading bike theft expert and advisor to the motorcycle industry, Ken German. “These scooter kids work for organised crime stealing bikes, and anything else for that matter, to order. They’ll use any measures to get it.”
It seems the police are reaching the end of their tether. “There is a perception that if you remove your helmet or fail to stop for police when requested to do so, we will not take any further course of action but this is untrue,” says Commander Amanda Pearson of Frontline Policing. “The public rightly expects us to intervene to keep London safe. Our highly trained police drivers weigh up the risks and decide upon the most appropriate tactics.
“Offenders on mopeds and motorcycles who attempt to evade the police are making a choice that puts themselves and others at risk. So our message is clear: we can, we will and we do target those involved in moped and motorcycle crime at every opportunity.”