Met Police demonstrate effectiveness of "tactical contact" against scooter gangs

THE METROPOLITAN Police have demonstrated the effectiveness of ramming motorised scooter gangs by releasing  onboard footage of effective pursuits.

A policy of “tactical contact”, which involves intentionally knocking suspects off the vehicles, has drastically reduced scooter crime in the capita, according to the Met. The force says it has also cut the amount of time police are engaged in chases and claims it helps prevent injury occurring to offenders and members of the public.

Statistics from Scotland Yard have shown motorbike and scooter crimes have risen in London over recent years, from 827 reported cases in 2012 to over 23,000 in 2017.

High-profile incidents, such as the theft of the comedian Michael McIntyre’s watch by a scooter gang, have also brought attention to the spike in this particular type of crime.

More recent figures, however, have suggested that tactical contact and other strategies are reversing the trend. According to the Met, 12,419 reported motorcycle crimes occurred in London between January and October 2018, which is substantial reduction on the 19,455 incidents that were recorded in the same period last year.

The Met’s commander of front-line policing Amanda Pearson said: “The Met is at the forefront of tackling moped and motorcycle crime and I am pleased to see that we have seen a reduction in offences. However, we are not complacent and we will continue to work tirelessly across London to maintain this downward trend.

“The public quite 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 in those circumstances.”

Credit: Metropolitan Police via Storyful

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