WEST Mercia Police has not ruled out deploying controversial tactics being used by the Met Police to deal with ‘moped muggers’ on off-road riders wreaking havoc in Rubery.
Video footage emerged this week of specially trained officers chasing down and knocking riders off their mopeds in London.
The move to combat the organised crime was criticised by some as being ‘too heavy-handed’.
But Bromsgrove MP and Home Secretary Sajid Javid responded to a tweet from Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott saying: “Risk-assessed tactical contact is exactly what we need. Criminals are not above the law.”
Speaking to The Standard about the issue he said: “The safety of my Bromsgrove constituents has always been, and remains my priority and I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure it.”
We asked West Mercia Police if similar tactics could be used on off-road bikers on Worcestershire’s streets.
Supt Paul Moxley, head of force operations from West Mercia Police, said: “Thankfully the kind of criminality the Metropolitan Police are referring to is not prolific in North Worcestershire and around Rubery and the Lickey Hills.
“However, should the use of ‘tactical contact’ be used to target serious and organised moped enabled criminals, it would only be carried out by appropriately trained advanced police drivers and only in certain prescribed circumstances where a dynamic risk assessment had determined that the tactic could be safely applied to minimise the risks to members of the public and the suspects involved.”
Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said “Whilst specific tactics used is an operational policing matter, I am confident in the professionalism of the officers, who use their skills, training and experience to make difficult decisions every day.
“Rigorous processes are in place to justify and support these decisions, ensuring their actions are in the best interests of protecting the public.”
