London’s Metropolitan Police has expanded its fleet of electric bikes and mopeds to fight crime on roads across the capital.
The Met has increased the size of its own e-bike fleet from five to 25 in a bid to cut street crime using the latest vehicle technology.
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It described the new vehicles as a “game changer” in the battle against phone theft, which has become a serious issue in London over the last few years.
Data suggests that the police’s use of e-bikes has helped to reduce phone theft by more than 13,000 offences across the capital in the last year alone.
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Since the start of the year, more than 2,500 illegal e-bikes and e-scooters have been seized by the Met, many of which have been modified with high-powered batteries.
The purchase of the new electric bikes was funded by profits taken from crime, with the measures being backed by the Home Office.
Commenting on the new fleet, London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said the fleet of Sur-Ron e-bikes would “send a clear message” to criminals.
He added: “These bikes have been successfully helping the Met to go after offenders who are increasingly using high-powered, illegally modified e-bikes to commit crimes and it’s great to be able to expand the fleet.
“With record funding from City Hall, the Met are using the latest innovation and technology, alongside neighbourhood policing, to stay one step ahead of criminals.
“Working closely with the Met, I am committed to being tough on crime and building on the progress that we have seen in tackling robbery and phone thefts, as we build a safer London for everyone.”
The e-bikes will operate around Camden, Islington, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, and Hammersmith & Fulham.
Neighbourhood offences have fallen over the last 12 months, with incidents down 14 per cent in the year to July, compared to the year prior.
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This includes a 24 per cent drop in thefts from a person, an 11 per cent fall in personal robberies and 7,336 fewer vehicle offences.
Sarah Jones, Minister for Policing and Crime, praised the rollout of the new vehicles, noting that officers would be able to respond to crime more effectively, especially in busy parts of the capital.
The Labour MP for Croydon West added: “The Government is committed to ensuring police forces across the country are equipped to effectively tackle crime and keep communities safe.
“As part of our mission to halve knife crime, the Knife Crime Concentration Fund is supporting police to take the right action in the right places. We are already seeing progress, with knife crime down by 11 per cent since the start of this Government.”
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