Police knocking criminals off mopeds

For most of human history the vast VAST majority of people have been extremely poor.

I don't think we should blame poverty for criminal behaviour.

Poverty Safari by Darren McGarvey is a very good read giving a clear insight of how poverty breeds a criminal culture.

Opal Sodapop I'm not making excuses but asking how have these children turned into little sh**s with only crime and violence as their subject of achievement and sense of self worth. We are all born the same. I am so saddened that so many have little or no guidance, no parental, educational or social supervision. We live in a very, very complex world. Very many young people are models of society - they have had a good start in life with love, guidance and support which gives them the tools to flourish in life. Crime has to be punished and we all have to take the consequences of our actions, whatever they may be but are we not also responsible for for creating the society in which we live.
Sorry for the outpouring - I seem to have gove off thread a bit.

A lot of this is simply down to drugs. A lot of violent crime is to do with dealing or with perpetrator being stoned. If only there was a way to get at the unscrupulous drug barons - I would have no problem with knocking them off their mopeds, but they are safely sealed inside their limousines.

Seriously though, a society is only as civilised as its dealings with criminals in its midst - cut off their hands? hang 'em?

Use of knives, machetes, acid etc cannot be blamed on cuts to social welfare . More money in crime than employment

Opal...I agree

It's the best news I've heard in ages! I love it and would like to see a lot more of it. I'd like to see our police taking a much more aggressive stance with the scum they have to deal with.

Yes we seem to care more about the perpetrators than the victims at the moment Opal
These thugs go mob handed with knives, machetes etc, 20 years ago there was more respect for others Marthajolly

Completely disagree Marthjolly1, you are making excuses for the behaviour of these little s***s. Plenty of people who are in need of support don't go around stealing mopeds, assaulting innocent people and being a menace to society. We've gone soft on criminals in the past couple of decades, and are reaping the results. Some of you have expressed concern for their safety, what about the safety of the general public? Individual rights should never trump the rights of society as a whole to be safe and protected from criminals. If they've done wrong, then maybe a few cuts and bruises will deter them from doing it again. Maybe we should re-introduce National Service for young criminals?

I hear what you say anja but I'm very uneasy about this. Yes violent crime is increasing, police presence is disappearing. So many cuts to social welfare and education thus seriously detrimental to those who are most in need of support. Exactly where are we heading in this crazy world. 20 years ago the nation would be horrified at police using such tactics

At last the Police are getting tough on these moped criminals. Someone has already stated, moped crimes are down by 30% already since this way of apprehending these thugs has been brought in.
It will make the streets safer for law abiding people and I'm all for that.
I am sick of these feral youths, laughing in the faces of the Police, terrorising people and making GB like the Wild West.

I gather that the police are being trained to do this without causing major injuries, so I'm all in favour of it. How can the police, with their serious lack of numbers these days, cope with rising crime without having to resort to tough measures. Anything which keeps the streets safer is ok in my book. These moped thieves are an absolute menace.

I remember when a scooter gang raided a jewellery shop in my nearest town, they were swinging axes, it was a couple of years ago before scooter crime really got going. It was a terrifying experience we all sheltered in the bank opposite.

Agree 100% with Anja. And if these criminals should be "children" then best if they are apprehended and, hopefully, taken out of the situation they are in.

It is a very difficult balance between protecting the public and not committing murder in the process of doing so. And these are split-second decisions.

17 people have been killed by taser guns in 15 years

No one is taking up the fact that some of these moped riders are children and have no choice but to do what the drug gang leader tells them to or they or their family are hurt or killed

I feel uneasy about the knocking off tactic too. But I feel even more uneasy about violent moped muggings. Some victims have been stabbed. I don't think the principle of forfeiting some of your 'rights' (e.g. of non-risky apprehension by police) when you've committed a crime is unreasonable.

They use stingers as well, but have to pre-guess the direction the perpetrator is taking and get in front of the moped in order to do this and it takes more than one police vehicle. Not often possible.

Yes, they do use stingers too. They were shown at the start of last night’s news report. The Police appear to be trying all they can, DD1 lives in an area where they have been plagued by moped thieves, it hasn’t been so bad for the last few months.

I am a little uneasy about this tactic although Police have obviously been trained to do it in the safest way. The other side of me thinks that if they don’t comit the crime then no body would get hurt anyway.

The newspaper article I read about this said the police can use 'stingers'.

Can they use stingers as they can with cars?
These puncture the tyres so the vehicle is disabled.

The video clips on the news were done very slowly and made the yobs look very undignified and the only thing badly hurt was their pride. A good idea and a good boost to police morale.

I agree with Anja I'm for it as well, these thugs don't care who they hurt.