Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The Met said drivers aim to end pursuits before riders or members of the public are injured

The Met Police has published footage of officers knocking suspected criminals off scooters, at the same time as the watchdog is investigating some crashes.

Videos released by the force show police cars being driven into riders.

The Met says it has cut scooter crime by 36% this year.

However, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it is investigating three cases involving "tactical contact" by Met police cars on scooters.

The number of offences involving scooters has fallen since specialists teams were set up to tackle the problem.

In January 2018 to October 2018 there were 12,419 offences, 7,036 fewer than the same period in 2017.

Image copyright PA Image caption Police officers can use their vehicles to knock moped thieves off their bikes, the Met Police said

The Met says drivers are specially trained and aim to end pursuits before riders or members of the public are injured.

A spokesperson said the tactic is not new but is being used more often by its most highly trained drivers working on Operation Venice; the team set up to tackle scooter gangs.

According to the IOPC, one of the cases being investigated involved a 17-year-old boy who suffered head injuries a year ago in Bexley.

However, none of the three cases involved officers involved with Operation Venice.

Met Police Commander Amanda Pearson said "a lot of them [scooter riders] get up and run away and look aghast as if to say 'how dare we'".

She added: "It's a high impact tactic and therefore our riders and our drivers will be considering the risk to the rider that they are pursuing, the risk to the public and the risk to themselves.

"But in more cases than not it is safer to bring that pursuit to a close than it is to continue to allow that rider driving dangerously through London."</s>Police in London are using specially trained drivers to stop would-be criminals from using motorcycles and mopeds by ramming them with cars.

(LONDON) — Police in London are using specially trained drivers to stop would-be criminals from using motorcycles and mopeds by ramming them with cars.

Police already use automatic tire deflation devices to stop offenders and DNA and forensic evidence to catch them. Now, through what the Metropolitan Police is calling “contact tactics,” drivers have been trained to target criminals who ride dangerously, without helmets or in disguise, in a way officers say prevents injury to both offenders and members of the public.

In a video released on Friday, the Metropolitan Police demonstrated the tactics in the hopes that “potential offenders will think twice about their actions,” the department said in a statement.

 Police want people to know how far they will go to stop criminals through their so-called “Operation Venice.”

“There is a perception that if you remove your helmet or fail to stop for police when requested to do so we will not take any further course of action. This is untrue,” Amanda Pearson, the Met’s frontline policing commander, said in the statement.

The theft of mopeds and motorcycles themselves — as well as their use as getaway vehicles for other crimes — are both of concern to police. Between January and October of this year, 8,261 mopeds have been stolen in London, down from 12,192 for the same time period in 2017.

Pearson said that while police are pleased with the decrease in motorcycle thefts, they will continue to work tirelessly to bring the number further down.

“Our message is clear: we can, we will and we do target those involved in moped and motorcycle crime at every opportunity,” Pearson said in the statement.</s>Police have released dramatic footage showing officers ramming cars into criminals riding mopeds and sending them tumbling into the road.Scotland Yard said the newly adopted "tactical contact" strategy is in widespread use in London after a rise in robberies, phone snatches and acid attacks using scooters.Moped-enabled crime has plummeted by 36 per cent in the capital year-on-year since the methods were rolled out.Officers feared being jailed or sacked if moped riders were injured during high-speed chases in the past, while criminals have taken their helmets off in the belief it will prevent a pursuit.But the government has backed new legal protections for officers, and the Metropolitan Police said it targets moped criminals "even when they ride dangerously, discard their helmets and disguise themselves in the belief that this will prevent pursuit and their capture".A spokesperson for the Met said "Scorpion" drivers are specially trained to use tactics that "prevent injury occurring to offenders and other people".Targeted riders can be seen getting up or even running from the collisions, and police say any incidents that cause injury are referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.Officers hope the footage will show the "hardline approach" they are prepared to take against criminals using motorbikes, and make potential offenders think twice.People are frequently targeted as they come out of Tube stations, while thieves also snatch handbags, high-value watches and other items.Among the victims have been comedian Michael McIntyre, who had his watch stolen by hammer-wielding moped robbers who smashed his car windows as he waited to pick up his children from school earlier this year.Sajid Javid said he was the victim of a moped mugging before becoming home secretary.Many of the attacks in London have targeted delivery drivers, with the aim of stealing their mopeds, including a spate of acid attacks.Jabed Hussain, the first of five victims attacked in just 90 minutes by moped riders last year, told The Independent that many stolen scooters or number plates were later used to commit crimes or rack up speeding tickets traced back to the original victims, adding: "You're the victim but they think you're a criminal."Victims of moped attacks have called on authorities to prevent criminals using the vehicles with "impunity", but identifying suspects has been made difficult by the wearing of helmets, masks and gloves.From January to October 2017, there were 19,455 moped-enabled offences across London, and this figure was reduced by 36 per cent to 12,419 offences in the same period this year.Met Police Commander Amanda Pearson said Scotland Yard was "not complacent"."Operation Venice is multifaceted, and we can call on all manner of tactics from an experienced investigation team to police helicopters to tackle and arrest offenders," she added."There is a perception that if you remove your helmet or fail to stop for police when requested to do so we will not take any further course of action. This is untrue."The public quite rightly expects us to intervene to keep London safe. Our highly trained police drivers weigh up the risks and decide upon the most appropriate tactics in those circumstances."Offenders on mopeds and motorcycles who attempt to evade the police are making a choice that puts themselves and others at risk."So our message is clear: we can, we will and we do target those involved in moped and motorcycle crime at every opportunity."</s>Breathtaking footage shows police knocking moped muggers off their bikes in new tactics to stamp out the scooter crime-wave that has plagued London.

Dashcam video released today shows a squad of specially trained drivers carrying out so called 'tactical contacts', which involve tipping crooks off their scooters or dumping them on the bonnets of police cars.

One incredulous rider raises his hands in indignation after he is sent clattering to the ground, and another told police: 'I took my helmet off so I thought you'd stop chasing me.'

The Met says it only uses the tactic as a last resort to stop muggers who are a risk to pedestrians or putting police in danger.

Police say they are now carrying out 'tactical contacts' every day and have used the method 63 times so far.

Sergeant Tony McGovern, who is one of the specially-trained drivers using the tactic, said: 'They think that if they remove their helmets we'll stop the pursuit, sometimes we may but, as you can see, we have used tactical contact against riders without helmets.'

He said police drivers have to quickly weigh up the risk to the public and the rider before carrying out the manoeuvres, as fleeing criminals often ride along busy pavements or behind railings to evade capture.

The method has been rolled out around the country after a seemingly-unstoppable crime wave gripped the capital this year, with scooter yobs grabbing people's phones, watches and bags, smashing their way into jewellery shops and stabbing anyone who got in their way.

Police say some moped robbers have hit 30 victims in one hour alone, with those coming out of tube stations seen as an easy target.

Police officers have also been injured by thieves riding directly into them.

Police were previously frustrated in catching the criminals, who often discarded their helmets to make officers think twice before chasing them.

Victims of the spate of incidents included ex chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and comedian Michael McIntyre, who was robbed of his Rolex by two men on a moped while parked outside his children's school.

But Scotland Yard chiefs have now vowed to get tough with the gangs as they attempt to take back control of the streets.

Met Commander Amanda Pearson said: 'There is a perception that if you remove your helmet or fail to stop for police when requested to do so we will not take any further course of action. This is untrue.

'The public quite rightly expects us to intervene to keep London safe. Our highly trained police drivers weigh up the risks and decide upon the most appropriate tactics in those circumstances.

'Offenders on mopeds and motorcycles who attempt to evade the police are making a choice that puts themselves and others at risk.

'So our message is clear: we can, we will and we do target those involved in moped and motorcycle crime at every opportunity.'

Police released this footage to show how difficult it is to follow a speeding bike as its rider weaves in and out of small streets on a London housing estate

The Met says it has cut 'moped-enabled crime' by 44 per cent in the last year, from 19,000 offences to 12,500.

They say thefts of moped thefts, often a prelude to more serious crimes, are also down 38 per cent, from 12,000 to 8,000.

Commander Pearson added: 'We are not complacent and we will continue to work tirelessly across London to maintain this downward trend.'

Commanders say no stop carried out by the operation targeting moped criminals has needed to be referred to the police watchdog, although three incidents involving mopeds are being looked at by the IOPC.

Among the most shocking of the incidents that hit the capital in recent years were those involving Nathan Gilmaney and Troy Thomas, who tried to rob as many people as possible in a quickfire series of robberies.

They killed 28-year-old Abdul Samad for his iPhone and little more than 'aggression and blood lust' as they swept across west London on a scooter.

A chilling video shows Gilmaney and Thomas the criminals calmly return to their victim to demand his PIN number before knifing him.

The pair, from Maida Vale, west London, were jailed for more than 20 years each in June.

Following their arrest, police noticed a 40 per cent drop in that type of offending.

Politician turned Evening Standard editor was also hit by moped robbers, who made a grab at his mobile as he left BBC headquarters in Portland Place.

He said: 'I was physically unharmed but felt shocked and stunned. The incident happened so quickly that I barely registered what had happened until afterwards. The scooter was so close that it almost brushed past me. Had it hit me, I have no doubt I would have been seriously injured.'

Another video last year laid bare how brazen the robbers had become after one was filmed walking into a busy cafe and pulling a laptop from a woman's hands.

Footage showed the victim working on her device at the Broad and Bean Cafe in Archway, north London as the helmet wearing thief walks in.

He quickly grabs the computer before running back out of the door and jumping on a waiting moped, which then speeds off. The raid took less than 10 seconds.

Café owner Valbona Sadiku said it was the second time moped robbers have targeted the premises in just three weeks.

She told MailOnline: 'It's unbelievable that these moped gangs will now actually enter peoples' property, it's gone to another level, it's horrific.'</s>London police said Wednesday they discovered two improvised explosive devices in an apartment and the counter terrorism command is involved, but officials are “keeping an open mind” about how the devices came to be there.

The report of suspicious devices at an unoccupied apartment in the Craven Park section in Harlesden, northwest London, just after 9:30 a.m. local time (4:30 a.m. ET) prompted the evacuation of a block of apartments, London’s Metropolitan Police Service said in a statement.

An initial assessment determined the devices were IEDs and they were rendered safe, police said. The unoccupied apartment was being refurbished.

“At this early stage, officers are keeping an open mind as to how or why the devices came to be there,” police said.

The United Kingdom is under a threat level for international terrorism of “severe.”

The country has experienced several terror attacks in recent years, including the March of 2017 car-ramming and stabbing attack on Westminster Bridge and near Parliament in which killed five people, including police officer Keith Palmer.

In June of 2017, eight people were killed after three attackers drove a vehicle into pedestrians on the London Bridge and then embarked on a stabbing rampage at a nearby market. The three assailants were killed by police.</s>Dramatic dashcam footage shows Met Police officers ramming moped thugs - sending them flying into the street - as their war on the dangerous gangs takes a hardline approach.

A video montage from Scotland Yard shows police vehicles driven by "Scorpion" officers ploughing into helmeted moped raiders in the street and on pavements as they try to flee.

One scene shows a man flying off his bike and rolling across the bonnet of a police car as one of his shoes is thrown into the air.

Another clip shows a moped rider being hit from behind as he's knocked to the floor and sent spinning in the road.

The astonishing footage reveals the force's new hardline crackdown against moped criminals - including sprays to forensically tag them - who have become a scourge in the capital.

Recent victims have included former chancellor George Osborne, comedian Michael McIntyre and money expert Martin Lewis.

Police announced on Friday that moped crime in London has been nearly cut in half in the last year partly due to officers being trained to knock offenders off their bikes.

Operation Venice recorded a 44 per cent drop in crime involving mopeds across London since October last year.

While front-line officers have been handed sprays to forensically tag both suspects and mopeds on the streets of London, specialised officers are authorised to hit riders with their own vehicle to unseat them.

In May this year, Mohammad Khaleghi was sprayed with the substance as he rode his moped dangerously in Camden.

Photos shared by police show UV light exposing the spray on Khaleghi face. He was jailed for driving without a licence, failing to stop and dangerous driving.

The stops are carried out by uniformed "Scorpion" officers.

The highly-trained drivers are allowed to physically hit a rider on a moped to knock them off their bikes during a pursuit.

Footage of some of the 64 "tactical contacts" that have been carried out by officers so far this year has now been released to the public.

Police say from January to October last year there were 19,455 such offences across London but from January to October this year the numbers had dropped to 12,419 offences.

And in the same period last year there were 12,192 moped thefts across London compared to January 2018 to October 2018 when there were 8,261 offences - a reduction of 38 per cent.

Recent figures have shown the number of offences by criminals on mopeds had increased 30-fold in just five years in the capital.

Some riders have snatched up to 30 mobile phones in an hour from unsuspecting victims in the street.

In October last year, two teens stabbed charity youth worker Abdul Samad, 28, to death for his iPhone during a violent moped robbery spree in Paddington. Both teens were jailed for life.

Commander of Front Line Policing, Amanda Pearson, said officers do not have a specific speed they must hit mopeds at - but have to risk assess the situation before carrying out the controlled stop.

No complaints of serious injury caused during these stops have been made to the IPCC so far, according to the commander.

Officers are primarily encouraged to try other tactics to prevent a pursuit and to slow the suspect vehicle down before the last resort of a tactical contact.

Commander Pearson said: "It's extremely dynamic and rapid. It's forward thinking. We try to mitigate that pursuit but if we end up in a pursuit, if that means tactical contact we are looking at as slow a speed as possible.

"Those rides are not just riding dangerously in a pursuit. They are riding dangerously before it's a police issue. It's not police that are creating that danger.

"We have to weight up the risk to them and to the public - if we don't intervene what is going to happen.

"We acknowledge there's a risk of injury but we have to weigh up that risk of injury to them in terms of ongoing harm should we not intervene."

Chief Inspector Jim Corbett said the force is also trying to dispel the myth that police will not continue a pursuit if a driver takes off his helmet.

Riders can in fact still face being pursued and are at a greater risk of injury if they are thrown from the vehicle without any safety gear.

Chief Inspector Corbett said: "One of the guys we have here in the videos is wearing a balaclava and no helmet. He does not think he's going to be pursued.

"These machines are sometimes 300 to 500cc and are capable of going 100mph.

"Another myth is they think they can't be recognised. A moped robber that made the front page of the Evening Standard wielding a hammer was recognised by his eyes.

"The group of three men arrested in relation to that incident was later found out to be responsible for 103 offences."

Over 6,000 groundbreaking new forensic tagging sprays have also been handed to local officers on the streets.

The sprays are used to "tag" a suspect or suspicious moped without putting the officer at a serious risk of harm.

UV scanners at police stations can then pick up whether an offender has been sprayed - and so they can be linked back to other crimes.

Chief Inspector Corbett said: "6,900 officers have been trained so far. We are going to train everyone.

"If they spray an offender in a location, a custody UV light will pick it up. It's contributing to cutting crime while not putting themselves at risk."

The force has also introduced automatic tyre deflation devices - commonly known as stingers - to stop offenders in their tracks.

Operated by a remote control, the spikes are able to be deployed electronically from a black rectangular box within seconds.

In 2014 Henry Hicks, 18, died when his moped collided with parked cars as he was being pursued by two unmarked police cars
The London Metropolitan Police Service releases video footage of police cars being driven into suspected criminals on scooters. They say the tactic isn't new.