to think that Labour's stance on moped ramming is stupid

[longfingernails]

The Metropolitan Police have been knocking over moped muggers with their cars, and releasing the footage as a deterrent. It's a fantastic idea which has cut moped crime dramatically.

Predictably, the Shadow Home Secretary has said 'it shouldn't be legal for anyone'.

Why is Labour's instinct always to side with the scumbag criminals over the victims, the police and the decent people?

Our laws do not include random physical punishment, because the state should be better than criminals.

No but you have an inherent right to self defence meaning that you may harm someone if they have harmed or you believe they will harm you.

Policing also has rules that allows the use of force when appropriate. For example an extendable baton, handcuffs, pepper spray and when necessary armed response units.

FFS, just google "legal definition of a child". It's 18. You can't switch and change the law to fit your own agenda.

Justanotherlurker As you know in the U.K., not all police are armed, so unfortunately can’t shoot them, so yes us as much force as necessary, what’s wrong with that ?

ElizabethG81 So what are you saying? Anybody under 18 doesn’t know right from wrong, just let them off,

Where does the law say that 15, 16 and 17 year-olds can’t be arrested or that they can be arrested but only if no force is used?

FFS

I'm guessing that using "as much force as necessary" is OK up until the point that it's your child being killed or seriously injured by the police?

Dismayed at teh number of people saying that if the police suspect someone has doen this they should just kill them.

Violence escalates.

Another has said police shoudl be routinely armed.

As for the poeple saying this policy isn't just because these crimes are fairly indiscriminate and so impact the wealthy and in "nice" areas.

Rubbish.

The police in London absolutely react to different victims, different criminals, different areas in different ways. A wealthy older person in a "posh" area gets different police reaction than a younger person in a different area. I have seen this with my own eyes more than ocne. You are extremely naive if you dont' udnerstand that.

The police in the capital are underfunded, there are not enough of them. You never see them out on the street, never. Low level crime and antisocial behaviour flourish. This as a knock on. Add to this the money being sucked out of all the things that used to support young poeple (which worked) and you have a pretty toxic mix.

If you want the police to be able to do their job you need to pay for it.

Taking their money away and then saying oh shit waht a surprise there's loads of crime oh I know let's just run the little bastards over is NOT a good direction to head in.

In my opinion.

I understand that those who are salivating at the idea of people the police believe to be criminals being hit by cars will disagree with me.

However I live in London I love this city and this is a terrible direction for us to head in.

"Being under 18 is not the definition of a child."

Huh?

Best thing they ever did! Too many soppy, snowflake liberals who want to hug a hoddie!

Hesta and Kissing, you're both twisting my words and reading things into them that are just not there. No where have I said or do I think it is OK for anyone to commit these crimes. I do not think they should be "let off".

However, I don't agree with the police being allowed or instructed to knock anybody off a moped, and I am particularly disturbed if the person being knocked off is a child, regardless of what that child may or may not have done.

"What if the police decide that "as much force as necessary" means shooting them?

Hold straw man slippery slope batman, we are reaching so far now."

But this has already happened.

jean charles menezes.

And the police lied and lied and lied.

Because they had shot an innocent man and so they made up stuff about him, what he was doing etc.

The police already are not held accountable for their many many fuckups.

Be careful what you wish for.

"Policing also has rules that allows the use of force when appropriate. For example an extendable baton, handcuffs, pepper spray and when necessary armed response unit"

Also if you're black they can compress your neck until you die.

Then pretend to be surprised OH what happened there how odd.

Hoorah!

ElizabethG81 In that case you should be glad that they stopped your wayward child!

There’s a lot of whataboutery on this thread.

We are talking about a specialised tactic in dealing with moped crime.

Dragging up unrelated incidents is not helpful.

I live and work in London and have been threatened by moped riders. Something needs to be done. If you have better suggestions then you can share them.

NothingOnTellyAgain the scumbags could always just stop carrying out criminal and anti social behaviour, it’s because they know they will get away with it they do it, my father says back in his days a policeman would turn up on his bike and the fighting would stop as the police were respected, now the people fighting would turn on the police, is this a world you want to live in ?

What is the impact on passers by of seeing teh police deliberately running people over, seeing them thrown over the bonnet of the car?

Do you think this will make people trust the police, feel safe?

Especially when this is a tactic that is used in London by terrorists as well.

It's a terrible idea.

However i see a few on here defintiely think they should be killed by the police. So whatever.

I wonder how many that approve of street executions actually live here.

NothingOnTellyAgain how many black people has that happened too?

I understand it is being used as a tactic to prevent further risk to the public in the form of high speed getaways and more muggings. I have no problem with it.

NothingOnTellyAgain I would imagine the people that have been victims of these types of crimes would be very happy

Hesta the police don't turn up for "fighting".

they are nowhere to be seen until something "big" happens, or until the victim is one they deem important, and then they stay in their vehicles. Helicopters (that they used to track these poeple with and arrest them) and cars.
I don't thikn the police have motorbikes any more? That I've seen for ages.

This is a dangerous response to be seen to deal with a highyl visible crime that is indiscriminate and so can affect people that the police need to be seen to be acting for.

The police are not interested in many many crimes in London which are just as bad. But they are more hidden or its the wrong sort of victim.

I don't trust them I've lived here all my life and I don't trust them to do the right thing. Is the bottom line.

Hesta
Shooting tyres on a moped isn’t an option imo. Innocent bystanders, missing targets, bullets ricocheting and hitting the riders. Shooting at a car or other large vehicle is far less dangerous imo as It’s a large object, which stops the bullets unlike a moped and rider. The rider can also change direction very fast and the bullets will easily fly past to some unknown target.

I really struggle to see another solution. To have even come up with this coupled with your posts, I am finding your POV a bit extreme tbh.

I think you guess too much.
I have been mugged and woudl have found it awful to see the bloke run over with a car on my behalf.

Hesta what, been killed in police custody?

Have a google and educate yourself. The answer is too many and entirely disproportionate to the number who are arrested.

I'm all for this! These moped muggers wouldn't think twice about injuring others so the police should eliminate that chance that these criminals could potentially injure innocents.

I wonder if those disagreeing with knocking thieves/murderers etc off their mopeds also disagree with giving pedophiles the death sentence?

NothingOnTellyAgain Why have you lost your trust in the police force, that are trying to do a very difficult job with one hand tied behind their back, if you loss trust in the people trying to protect you it’s not far from anarchy