Moped suspects threaten police officer with knife, slash tyres and escape after being caught in London

Incident comes amid calls for crackdown on moped-enabled crime following 16,158 thefts in a year

The incident (not pictured) came amid a wave of moped-enabled crime in London (Twitter/@f0od1samazing)

Moped criminals have been caught by police in London, only to threaten an officer with a knife, slash the wheels of his motorbike and escape.

The incident will provoke fresh alarm following mounting calls for a crackdown on offenders using scooters to launch robberies, stabbings and acid attacks with relative impunity.

The Government launched a review of rules governing police pursuits in response to the ongoing wave of moped-enabled crime, which included the unprovoked murder of a teenager earlier this month.

But the incident in north London raises questions over the safety of officers who manage to confront armed suspects.

An officer riding a marked police motorbike had seen two men on a moped “acting suspiciously” in Benwell Road, Holloway, the Metropolitan Police said.

“The officer signalled for them to stop and the vehicle made off, eventually stopping for the officer in Sunnyside Road, N19,” a spokesperson added.

“The pillion passenger then dismounted from the bike and threatened the officer with a large knife, which he then used to strike the tyres of the police bike. Both rider and pillion then made off.”

The police officer was not injured in the incident and no one has been arrested.

Scotland Yard is appealing for witnesses to the incident, which came at around 2.30pm in Sunnyside Road on Wednesday.

The suspects were described as men aged between 18 and 22, both wearing dark clothing and black helmets, and their moped was not displaying a rear registration plate.

Detective Inspector Greg Coates said the moped riders were “clearly dangerous and need to be arrested”.

“We would like to hear from anyone who was in this area at the time and has dashcam footage,” he added. “Please call police; your information could be vital.”

Identifying moped criminals has been made difficult by the wearing of helmets, masks and gloves, while some have chosen not to use head protection in the belief it will prevent police chasing them.

Police associations said officers feared being prosecuted if suspects were killed or injured in crashes, after four officers were charged with gross misconduct over the death of 18-year-old Henry Hicks in 2014.

They were cleared by an inquest that determined professional standards had not been breached in the pursuit leading up to a fatal collision.

Speaking to a police summit earlier this month, Amber Rudd said the Government was reviewing the law and practice regarding police pursuits.

“We want to make sure officers feel they have the legal protection they need to go after moped and scooter gangs,” the Home Secretary added, saying the review would be completed in early 2018.

“These criminals terrorise our streets, intimidating people into giving over their phones or wallets and leaving many too scared to walk outside their front doors.”

The Metropolitan Police recorded 16,158 thefts by criminals on mopeds in the 12 months to June, more than three times the number in the previous year.

Crimes using the vehicles have included robberies, “smash and grab” raids, stabbings and acid attacks – many of which have been carried out in order to steal mopeds from food delivery drivers.

Jabed Hussain, the first of five victims attacked during a spate of assaults over just 90 minutes in East London, told The Independent that stolen mopeds were being used to commit more crime.

“We’ve got a lot of criminals who will do it again and again because nothing is being done about it,” he said.

“A lot of drivers have left their jobs and become minicab drivers because they don’t feel safe.

“It’s like we’re working in a jungle. This is my home where I live and I want my safety, everyone deserves their safety.”

Adding insult to injury, he said that many stolen scooters or number plates are later used to commit crimes or rack up speeding tickets traced back to the original victims, adding: “You’ve the victim but they think you’re a criminal.”

(ONS (ONS)

The Office for National Statistics confirmed the trend, saying mopeds typically lack immobilisers and have “have little to no security”, driving rises in vehicle theft.

In the year to June, there were 14,943 thefts of “powered two-wheel vehicles” in London, making up half of all vehicles stolen in the capital.

Moped crime is part of a wider rise in violent offences across England and Wales, although robbery has been disproportionally concentrated in London and other large cities.

Cressida Dick, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said stabbings had risen by 15 per cent in the capital so far this year.

Speaking earlier this month, she said the crime wave was being driven by a “core group of young offenders” repeatedly committing assault and robbery “with relative impunity”.

Scotland Yard has separately announced it is stopping investigating some lower-level crimes as it works to save £400m, and other forces are believe to be publicly and privately exploring similar measures.

Ms Dick is among the police chiefs calling for more funding to combat rises in recorded crime and 999 calls, amid the “unsustainable strain” exerted by the national terror threat.

The Home Office has pointed to its “police transformation” funding and a separate boost for counter-terrorism policing, claiming that further efficiencies can be found.

Anyone with any information on the incident on 22 November is asked to contact police on 101, via Twitter @MetCC, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.