Police Officer Tells James O'Brien Why His Moped Solution Won't Work
27 June 2018, 14:07 | Updated: 27 June 2018, 14:12
James O'Brien thought he had solved how police can stop the spate of moped attacks in London - then a police officer specialising in moped crime called in to set him straight.
James suggested that forcing all moped riders to wear hi-vis jackets with a registration number on would mean police would have a new reason to stop the rogue riders.
But a caller named James called in, revealing he is a Tactical Advisor on Moped Crime at the Metropolitan Police. And he told James why it won't work.
The caller said: "The registration on the back already exists in the form of the registration plate on the bike.
"At the moment, we're finding a lot of mopeds riding around without registration plates. That's because they know we can't deal with it.
"The issue is enforcement and stopping it. If they saw a bike with a rider not wearing a fluorescent jacket, if you try to stop it, it's not going to stop. It will drive down an alleyway or down the road and the complexities of the pursuit policy comes in and you've lost the battle."
James admitted his plan wouldn't work, so asked the officer what his idea for dealing with the issue is.
His answer: "I haven't really got one!
"There is something that's been mooted, but I don't know how practical it is. Apparently, there is technology in existence where you can shut down an engine. It's been around a long time and it's quite simple.
"Why can't we have that technology by law put into every two-wheeled vehicle and link it to registration.
"There will be some that won't have that and it will go some way to assisting officers."
