Moped-enabled crime

Thought I recognised it...

Combine the stop and search with forcing scooterists to drink all liquids about their person.

I see this around the area all the time. Saw three of them nicking another scooter in Notting Hill, and had another group of three try and run me off the road around there too.

So they are getting to the running people off the road now, gonna get to the stage you'll need a big hammer on you to protect yourself.

who would do that?

I wasn't being totally serious.. but it could be done by a special unit. would discourage crime if they knew the police would chase and that there was a baton wielding pillion. other countries seem to manage, and it isn't expensive - these greek police earn like €300 a month and have to buy their own petrol sometimes. they have a wide range of bikes too.

I think at this point the only difference between the two groups is the uniform though, so by no means am I implying that the UK should introduce another gang to the streets...

Riding around battering these scummers with a truncheon? Sign me up - I'd happily pay for my own petrol too.

.

It's getting a bit NRA on this thread.

Police action required, but putting police on the street with a pretext to brutalise, no matter who the crims are is just problematic. Violent response can and will spill over into other areas of policing, as we've seen in fascist Greece and Spain.

Personally, I don't think more bully boys on the street is the answer. Yes, more police would be good but the problem seems that the way people are committing crime has evolved but the police and legal responses simply haven't. Licensing for corrosive liquids (or simply requiring a credit card and proof of address to purchase), smart tracking of suspects (sticky GPS, DNA spray), more hands on community policing etc. would be good places to start.

Also a big gun with a net, possibly a cliff with a boulder.

First response tactic can't be pursuit. Police should be able to stop the pursuit from happening in the first instance, which seems as much a technological issue as a tactical one, and shouldn't require any more policing powers, or guns or big sticks.

From earlier on in the year; https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/may/09/police-in-london-consider-tougher-tactics-against-moped-gangs

“It’s unusual to get that close and for the bike to be that slow or stopped."

I think it's easy to say until you or someone you love is the victim.

Likewise, it's easy to say a violent response is justified if you're emotionally involved.

If they banned mopeds and acid I wouldn’t mind at all. Seems like a bit of a trend that will hopefully fade away like every scally had a dog for protection a few years ago. Here’s hoping 🤞

You mean pedal spanner? Coz you wouldn't want magistrates thinking you were carrying a weapon. A tool for your loose pedal though, that's something you might expect a cyclist to have on them. Park make a really nice one.

Lezyne do one with a nice wooden handle so you can get a good grip on it when beating off thieves tightening pedals

During the Olympics a pal of mine, Steff cycled out to box hill to watch the racing, and on arrival went through the metal detector things which went off as a result of a leatherman in his toolset. The RAF chap manning security said "I'll have to go to my boss about this", Boss came over and said "Well the chap has just cycled here, he'd be a damn fool to come without being prepared, let him in". I liked this.

My new Park one is grippy rubberised handle. I don't think it has a bottle opener though, which is a little disappointing. It is really long though.

for affixing pedals in another room?

It is really long though.

Nice. Extra leverage for whacking wrenching

For working on pedals that other people have installed badly, ie. sans-grease.

I was. I was also sprayed with something I genuinely thought was acid till I could safely get away/stop/strip/freak out.

I still don't think militarizing plod with armor/sticks will accomplish much apart from escalating violent confrontation further as the scummy fucks will see it through an 'us vs them' prism.
There's no precedent for much to say that violent response ever accomplished much apart from creating a culture of fear and paranoia.

I'm not denigrating the gravity of this issue in any way or form, but if there's no funding for public policing that needs it far more than this issue (knife crime, abuse et al) then I don't see much hope in this becoming of such importance it warrants said budget.

I also believe this is tied in to a bigger picture this city (to my eyes) is experiencing in terms of unrest and inequality, but that's a whole other subject.

During the Olympics a pal of mine, Steff cycled out to box hill to watch the racing, and on arrival went through the metal detector things which went off as a result of a leatherman in his toolset. The RAF chap manning security said "I'll have to go to my boss about this", Boss came over and said "Well the chap has just cycled here, he'd be a damn fool to come without being prepared, let him in". I liked this.

I'd consider riding fixed again in order to have a legitimate reason for carrying one of these

Carry a cassette tool too

Here’s what you should do in an acid attack

NHS Choices say chemical burns require immediate medical attention at an A&E department.

If you're helping someone else, they advise to put on appropriate protective clothing and then:

*Remove any contaminated clothing on the person
*If the chemical is dry, brush it off their skin
*Use running water to remove any traces of the chemical from the burnt area
*Many health advice sites warn against using a hard spray of water on the affected area as it could possibly lead to more damage.

“If possible, find out what chemical caused the burn and tell the healthcare professionals at A&E,” NHS Choices say.