Met police’s new e-bike unit will hunt down moped muggers to tackle London’s phone snatch-idemic | News UK

Who needs police horses? Scotland Yard has bolstered its fleet of high-powered e-bikes to rev up its battle against phone snatchers plaguing the West End.

The Sur-Ron bikes, which can weave through London’s chock-a-block traffic at 50mph, have been credited for reducing phone thefts by 13,000 last year.

Moped muggers and thugs on e-bikes could usually evade capture by embarking on dangerous pursuits through winding alleyways or smart shortcuts through estates. But the Met are hoping by increasing the unit to 25 riders they will have nowhere to hide.

The lightweight machines are ridden by a highly trained unit of riders who will circle central London looking for criminals preying on tourists and commuters.

A police statement said: ‘The lightweight bikes enable officers to cut through traffic, navigate narrow streets, and even tackle staircases, allowing them to reach and catch criminals in places inaccessible to conventional police motorcycles and cars.

‘They are a game changer in the fight against phone theft, enabling officers to pursue offenders quickly and intervene moments after a snatch offence.’

So far this year, officers have seized more than 2,500 illegal e-bikes and e-scooters, often modified with high-powered batteries or uninsured.

Profits seized from criminals has been reinvested into policing with the Home Office helping to pay for the new bikes.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Louise Puddefoot said: ‘Expanding our Sur-Ron fleet gives officers another powerful tool to stay one step ahead of criminals. These bikes allow officers to move quickly through busy streets, access areas traditional vehicles cannot reach, respond faster to crime and arrest more suspects.’

Just in the last month two suspects have been chased down by Sur-Ron bikes.

In one incident a suspect sped off and shot into a council estate where they were intercepted by an officer on an e bike and found to be in possession of class A drugs.

The assistant commissioner added: ‘Criminals are using high-powered, often illegally modified e-bikes to commit offences such as phone theft and robbery. By expanding this capability, we are ensuring our officers have the tools they need to disrupt criminality and keep Londoners safe.

‘Londoners are already seeing the results of our relentless focus on tackling street crime, with neighbourhood crime down 14 per cent over the past year and 13,000 fewer phone thefts.’

Many illegal e-bikes confiscated by police have been modified to travel much faster, with some exceeding 70mph.

Non-compliant machines are effectively electric mopeds or motorbikes, which must be registered, taxed and insured.

While major retailers sell thousands of legal e-bikes every year, many illegal machines are bought on the internet.

Kits which add an electronic motor to a conventional bike are available online for under £300.

As well as being used for crime, illegal e-bikes are also often used for legitimate journeys such as food deliveries and commuting.

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