Moped-enabled crime

The chase isn't really the issue, it the chase them with what exactly? A 400cc twist and go moped is faster than anything in the city with the people riding it having no limit to where or how fast they go.
Unless you follow their tactics or develop new ones, a chase is generally pointless; as are stingers. Where the hell are you going to put the damned things? They're riding on pavements and down stairs.
I got attacked by moped scrotes with a fire extinguisher and a chain, but managed to get away. Response form Police was a shrug of the shoulders not because they didn't care, but because it's a hell of a task all around.

Scooter theft is the new gateway crime similar to auto theft before it became too much for your average crim.

There is a new cohort of criminals being cooked up by the streets, younger mandem are sourcing vehicles for heavier crews as well as for their petty(ier) crime.

Most will get caught after a bit of fun; some will progress further up the ladder and the 20 or so percent with any brains will move into fraud.

Specifically to phones, unfortunatly I don't think there is an International IMEI blocking agency.

As to bicycle theft, how else are they going to learn to wheelie and have you seen how many fit in a shipping container?

Riding glasses, get a few pairs..

Riding glasses, get a few pairs..

It's funny how mine have developed an extra function recently, exactly for this purpose. Hope their acid-resistance qualities never get tested.

They're also introducing pursuit bikes, skinnier motos that will keep up. They're gonna need some keen riders too I guess.

Who would it negatively impact to give greater stop and search powers where there is a scooter/moped with a pillion passenger?

Of all the people I know who commute, or just generally get around by moped, I don't know anyone who relies on it as a mode of transport for more than themselves. Obviously, I don't know everyone, hence my question.

But it seems that many of these attacks or thefts involve a pillion passenger. If the reasonable grounds for suspicion warranted a stop in these cases, I can only imagine that it would catch a number of people going equipped (hammers, knives, bottles of acid, bolt croppers etc.)

When I was a special constable in Clapham, we were tasked with stopping youths on bicycles, as that was what was being used in most street thefts/muggings. But that was obviously too broad an area as funnily enough, most young people on estates were mucking around or just getting about on bikes.

If most moped crimes are committed by felons with pre-stolen scooters, how difficult can it be for plod to run any pillioned moped's plates through ANPR, with any sus plates resulting in a stop-and-search? Obviously this suggestion is based on the premise that there's actually enough plod to be out on the roads, but hey, one can dream.

Plate comes back stolen, coppers go to stop criminals, they take off, plod not allowed to chase. Stop and search will only work if they stop. And youths on stolen mopeds with hammers in their bags don't have very much incentive to stop.

Yeah, true. For a minute there I was lost in my perfect world scenario.

Wow, so much going on. I can't understand how they could have got so many iPhones in three minutes. The most horrible recent development is obviously that acid crap.

I was thinking that the only way of getting to grips with the problem might be a regulatory response, to ban such mopeds altogether, which will never happen, but I can't see right now what other strategies might work.

I can't see right now what other strategies might work.

Wait until public outrage reaches boiling point - at which point the cops will be allowed to chase again, consequences be damned.

In the ensuing chases, a ped is going to get killed, causing more outrage, increasing police powers.

This continues until for crims the risk > reward.

Two yoots pulled up alongside me on Friday night and had a good look at me and my bike, then decided against it and quickly did a u-turn. The one on the back said to the rider "nah, not this one"

Probably saw the job you did on your bartape.

I was thinking along these lines. Stop and search every moped with 2 people aboard.

Guess it would still come back to how do you catch them. The wrong uns would flee. Leaving the police wasting all their hours stopping Italian investment bankers.

Perhaps a ban on pillion passengers could work. A bit draconian though.

Worth £30 then!

Give police guns that fire tranquiliser darts?

That must have been a bit worrying.

where?

I wonder if:

1. The rise of kids doing ride outs with increasingly dangerous behaviour is teaching the next generation of scooter thieves.

2. The fact we have the greatest levels of financial inequality since before WW2 has anything to do with it.

It's going to take one instance of me being the victim in one of these crimes rather than a witness yet another time, for me to get the fuck back to Finland.

Let's just hope they're not going after Harleys. :)

A little. More worried for Mrs Bear once she starts commuting again.

Yeah. I can imagine.

Here. They followed me through the cycle lane too.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4892156,-0.0745215,3a,75y,318.18h,83.87t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sgpfWGPZOBkVsn-QMBP6HIg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DgpfWGPZOBkVsn-QMBP6HIg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D257.33954%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

fucking hell .. same concern as you plus I have quintana arms

You don't need to worry, they know Sora is worthless

I commute on Di2