A number of residents have written to me this week to express their alarm at reports of increasing crime and anti-social behaviour perpetrated by people on bikes and mopeds, particularly in Hornchurch.

Policing in London is something that has been devolved to the Mayor of London, and as an MP I have no jurisdiction over operational decisions concerning the Met. However, I have been speaking to our local London Assembly Member, Keith Prince, about the issues that have been highlighted to both of us by residents. We are anxious that police get a grip of the problems so yesterday I passed all of the concerns raised with me to our Borough Commander, Jason Gwillim, to see what his officers are doing to tackle motorcycle crime and intimidation across our constituency.

Commander Gwillim has since replied to me to advise that 'this particular issue is cross cutting all three of my boroughs and is also increasing across the MPS.  I'm very keen to meet up and discuss the details of this operation and also the wider merger issues with the three boroughs if you have the time.' His team further advised, ' The Police are currently running an Operation to tackle and disrupt Moped enabled crimes. Superintendent Scotchbrook is our community lead, who is currently co-ordinating some joint local initiatives running over the Summer.'

I am in the process of arranging a meeting with Commander Gwillim to discuss these operations further. I have also been invited next week to go to Scotland Yard to meet new Met Commissioner, Cressida Dick, along with other London MPs, and I shall take the opportunity to raise your worries with her. I will post an update after these meetings.

In the meantime, I paste below information I have received from the Met about their activities to drive down incidents of this sort of crime, as well as advice to residents that may help avoid being targeted.

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• Police are working hard to keep the public safe and make the streets hostile territory for criminals who use mopeds, motorbikes and bicycles to snatch valuables from members of the public.
• We are committed to taking every opportunity to divert, disrupt, detect and prosecute those involved in scooter, moped, and motor cycle related criminality.

• Detectives are regularly targeting offenders through intelligence-led investigations and operations

• We are working with industry to make scooters, mopeds, and motor cycles harder to steal.  
• Criminals use stolen scooters – that is why we have a strong focus on preventing the theft of scooters in the first place.
• Scooters are easy to steal – riders must chain the back wheel of their scooters to prevent it from being stolen.

Supporting Information

Scooter/pedal cycle enabled offences in London FY2016-17: 11,389 (bikes), 5980 (cycles)

MPS Pursuit Policy

The MPS can and will undertake pursuits in any situation where it is necessary to do so - in line with nationally approved tactics. However, we must first ensure the safety of our officers, the public and the suspect when bringing offenders to justice. Officers are appropriately trained and equipped to minimise risk and the MPS pursuit policy is based upon the National policing best practice guidelines.

The tactical option of pursuit has many layers of continuous and proportionality risk assessment. This includes the driver themselves, the MetCC radio operator and the MPS pursuit tactical commander who supports the driver over the radio.

We also have at our disposal a series of tactics to bring a pursuit to a safe conclusion, including air support and tyre deflation devices, which deflate tyres gradually so the vehicle safely slows to a stop. We also have a range of pre-emptive tactics to stop pursuits happening in the first place.

Also, should a rider remove his helmet he is easily identifiable and will then be located and arrested.

Crime Prevention Advice

For the general public:

• Be aware of your surroundings at all times and keep your personal property secure.
  Don't text while you're walking you won't notice potential thieves approaching.
• Use the security features on your phone.
• Try going hands free or stand away from the roadside close to a wall so no one can come up behind you.
• Your phone comes with a range of security features, such as keypad locks and remote data wiping. Make sure they are all activated to stop thieves from accessing your phone and personal data.
• Know how to identify your phone if it's stolen. Find your IMEI number by dialling *#06# from your phone and keep a written note of it. If the phone is stolen, report it to the police and your mobile provider to stop it being used.
• Register your phone on www.immobilise.com to help police return recovered stolen property and combat the sale of stolen goods. Police recover more than 2500 items registered to the website on average every month. Never confront a thief or risk your own safety for the sake of your mobile device

For scooter riders:

• We urge all riders to improve the security of their vehicles to consider additional measures to secure their mopeds and scooters, such as using fitted anchors, security loops, disc and chain locks, and audible alarms. By everyone playing their part, we can thwart the thieves who steal these vehicles to perpetrate further crimes.

What the public can do

Help police tackle moped theft and moped related crime such as theft snatch by reporting to police if you have witnessed or have footage of a bike being stolen or thieves carrying out a snatch theft. Your information will be treated in confidence and will help us to develop intelligence and target the thieves. Please contact us with:

• Video footage
• Photos
• Details of time, date and location
• If you have any other information about moped crime

You can do this by contacting us:

• On Twitter @MetCC
• On www.met.police.uk – tell us about something you’ve seen or heard.
• By calling 101.
• You can also report anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

In the event of a crime taking place, always call 999.

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"The more visible the security, the less visible your scooter is to thieves: adding extra security makes it harder for them to steal." This is the message of the Met’s new short, hard-hitting film and advertising campaign, urging riders of scooters, motorcycles and mopeds to use more security to avoid the theft of their vehicles.

Commissioner Cressida Dick is launching the campaign this morning, Friday, 23 June, at a popular parking bay in St James’s Square in Westminster – a key borough affected by the theft of scooters. Officers will be speaking to commuters about properly securing their scooters, motorcycles and mopeds.

The campaign encourages riders to layer up their security to reduce their vulnerability to thieves, focussing primarily on scooter riders, who are less likely to use strong security products. In many cases, owners have inadequate security or no security at all on their scooters, making it easy for thieves to steal them and then use them to commit snatch and robbery offences.

Security measures alone cannot guarantee a scooter will not be stolen, but every step taken makes it less attractive to a thief. The film shows not only how easy it is for thieves to steal vehicles that have not been adequately secured, but that thieves are less likely to target bikes with two locks, put off by the time involved in stealing them.

This campaign supports Operation Venice, the Met’sresponse to scooter, motorcycle and moped related crime, which has seen a rise in offences across London. Figures show that over 15,000 scooters, motorcycles and mopeds were stolen in London in the last year - more than half of all stolen vehicles in the capital - and scooters were used in the commission of over 14,000 crimes (rolling 12 months June 16 – May 17).

The perpetrators are often repeat offenders and in some cases also use stolen scooters to transport weapons and drugs to be used in further crimes.

As well as similar parking bay events, which will be held across London, the campaign will also see adverts on buses travelling through some of the top scooter theft hotspots in London – Westminster, Wandsworth, Tower Hamlets, Lambeth, Southwark, Haringey and Hammersmith and Fulham.

There will also be leaflets, a social media campaign and vinyl stencils printed onto dedicated parking bays in hotspot boroughs, reminding riders to use more security.

Op Venice is also working with industry partners and dealerships to introduce security awareness at the point of purchase of a scooter. Compulsory Basic Training providers, who run scooter training courses, will help promote security messages during training sessions. Industry, councils, partners, insurers and manufacturers will increase security awareness and work towards longer term solutions to make scooters harder to steal.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Cressida Dick said:

“We are hugely grateful for all the support we have received over the last weeks and months following the awful events here in London and the overwhelming desire of our public to help us. I would say to all of you – one of the best things that Londoners can do to support us is to follow our advice in taking care of your property and help us stop crime before it happens.

“This campaign is about encouraging scooter owners to do everything they can to adequately secure their vehicle against its theft and its subsequent use to commit thefts and violent robberies against the public.

“Police are working hard to make the streets hostile territory for reckless criminals who endanger lives, but it is the easy availability of scooters that is driving the rise in scooter enabled crime. So, I urge all riders: properly secure your scooter to reduce its risk of theft. If everyone plays their part, we can thwart these thieves.”

Steve Kenward, CEO of the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) said: “The MCIA is pleased to support this campaign to help riders make their bikes more secure. All riders must play their part in tackling motorcycle and scooter theft by taking sensible security measures when parking – using two or more high quality locks will help to deter opportunistic thieves. Our message is simple – protect your bike by layering your security!”

The campaign will be fully evaluated to improve our crime prevention messaging and campaigns going forward.

To find out more about this campaign and how you can protect yourself please visit: www.met.police.uk/besafe

Advice: Whilst we are continually tackling this crime there is much the owners of mopeds and motorcycles can do themselves and the Met advises the following steps:

• Parking: Choose designated parking with a stand and security loop, or if this is not available try areas with lots of people, good lighting and CCTV.
• Locks: Use more than one lock, focusing on disc locks and chain locks, fitted tight to the bike and through difficult-to-remove parts.
• Time: When leaving your bike for a long period or overnight, lock it to something secure and use a motorbike cover. At home consider using fitted anchors to secure your bike.
• Attention: Use audible alarms where possible to draw unwanted attention to the thieves.

• Marking: Choose to mark your bike parts with the vehicle identification number (VIN) number, your postcode or registration number using an ultraviolet marker pen or property marking kit.

• Insurance: Some companies will offer discounts on your insurance if you invest in certain security measures, so ask before you make your purchase.