Moped-enabled crime

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

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.