Dismore questions Mayor over moped crime
Labour London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden Andrew Dismore AM today questioned the Mayor over the huge growth in moped enabled crime. (See clip here)
Mr Dismore put to the Mayor:
‘In 2011 there were just 372 cases of moped enabled crime; in 2016 this had risen exponentially to over 7,500, with mobile phone and bag snatch thefts very prominent. The theft of mopeds and motor bikes is also up 31% since 2011. As the Met has a policy in most cases of non-pursuit of thieves’ getaways on mopeds for road safety reasons, and we can see what they are up against from the Evening Standard story last week. What can be done to reduce this crime and catch the perpetrators?
‘From a criminal’s cost benefit analysis of the risks of being caught as against the rewards of stealing high value objects like smartphones, it looks a good bet with just 1 in 75 moped enabled thefts even resulting in a serious pursuit. This is a crime that should be taken much more seriously, with so many people having pretty well their entire daily lives in their phones – their photos, their friends and family contacts, their diaries.’
In response, the Mayor set out details of the three major operations, including the specialist operation in Camden, and the successes so far. He agreed that it was a serious issue, and that without excusing or justifying it, we should also all be aware of the risk of using phones in the street.
