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?

They nudge them. You all make out that they drive right over their heads!
How else are you going to get them off the bike? Ask them nicely?

I haven;t trusted teh polcie here since I was a teenager.

I have not had any epxeriences to persuade me otherwise.

Plus I read the news - the Met has had scandal after scandal.

Mummyoflittledragon And your view is why we have a worrying level of crime, just look at the knife crimes this year,
What is your answer to it ?

It is a harm prevention tactic, not a punishment. It is designed to prevent further risk to the public- I would far rather a violent criminal be shunted off his moped than plough down an innocent pedestrian further down the road. The police are at the point of contact responding to a crime that has already been committed, and a suspect who has refused to stop. At that point the police are damned if they do and damned if they don't. Watch the moped year off and kill someone or mug and main more victims, they will be criticised and people will be harmed. The criminals who make the decisions that lead to this action have chosen their own fate and frankly I'd rather they were put at risk than members of the public or police officers.

NothingOnTellyAgain What experience do you want to persuade you ? Tea and biscuits, I would like to see you do the very difficult job they do, I’m sure your attitude would change dramatically

I have been "nudged" with a car an angry man was driving.

A car is 1 ton + of metal.
Even "nudging" is fuckign dangerous.

Nudging may be dangerous but so is armed mugging and speeding vehicles. At least the nudging only risks the criminals.

NothingOnTellyAgain What’s that got to do with the police chasing criminals, if that man was arrested and put behind bars, perhaps it would make other people from doing the same thing,

TwistedStitch Well said, I cannot understand why people have any compassion for criminals that destroy the lives of honest law abiding citizens

Hesta - I don't understand.
My lifes experience + my friends experiences + seeing how the police treat different crimes different criminals different victims differently

• reading the news Has resulted in me not trustign the police.

The Met are cut to the bone and they only come out for certain crimes / certain victims / certain criminals / certain areas.
This is a well known and long term fact.

I would still like to see them funded properly and out on teh street more.
I saw a pair on black friday and everyone on teh street was looking around like WTF is going on here.
And looked nervous.
That is what happens when they are never there unless sometihgn major has happened. There is a massive distance between them and the people that on paper they are supposed to be keeping safe.

There is also a lot of private security now in richer areas I dont' know what impact that might have had.

just look at the knife crimes this year

Considering a large majority of offenders have mental health issues, brain injuries, learning difficulties, are care leavers, come from neglected backgrounds, have suffered abuse etc perhaps money should be ploughed into mental health, social care and policing?

Elizabeth

Fair enough. And please recognise that I do not engage in any of the stupid “hanging’s too good ‘em” nonsense nor have I suggested that you don’t believe in stopping criminal acts by young people.

Your use of ‘children’ is, IMO, misleading (you didn’t say under 18: I had to ask you that). Most people would not regard being threatened with acid by a 16 year old the actions of a child.

So we just disagree about whether violent youths can legitimately be knocked off mopeds as they flee the police.

More generally, what you think the police should do otherwise? They openly admit that they are more or less powerless to stop moped and scooter riders who ignore them: they simply can’t follow them. And the rate of such crime is enormous in some areas.

More police would not help unless we had so many that there was a policeman on every street. But then we’d be living in an oppressive police state.

Nothingontelly

See section 107 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933. Just for example.

I also think Diane Abbott is an opportunist who in her capacity as Shadow Home Secretary has a responsibility to be a bit more circumspect and maybe actually speak to the police about this rather than just tweet publicly criticising them.

How many of the people who are saying this policy is awful have actually read up on what the police are doing and in what circumstances? They are certainly not trying to run people over.

I'm totally on board with earlier intervention to stop young people getting to this point, but given that we have a current explosion in moped crime what are your short to medium term solutions?

FissionChips Of course all that’s an excuse for knive crime isn’t it,

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.

The police are not 'running them over.' Seeing them nudged and stopped, yes that would make me feel like the police were stopping criminals and I would find that very reassuring. They've been using this method for a year and it's working. There has to be a deterrent. I saw footage of the police nudging one of these idiots on a moped. The idiot couldn't believe the police had done it, he was in total disbelief. That's because he's used to the police having no power and him and his thug gang having it all.

You can hardly compare the police nudging someone on a moped to terrorists deliberately mowing down huge numbers of innocent people at high speeds. I really don't know what to say to that comparison, it's just wrong.

These thugs wouldn't defend you, they would hurt or kill you, your child, your great grandma without a second thought, if you had something they wanted. They are scum and really don't deserve you defending them.

Of course all that’s an excuse for knive crime isn’t it

Eh? I’m going to employ Mark Twain’s advice regarding ‘stupid’ on this one

the video I saw the person went over the bonnet of the police car.

This "nudged" is on a par with "collateral damage" and other terms the authorities use to minimise what they are doing.

they are hittign peopel with cars.

I said earlier that I have been "nudged" by a car driven by an angry man> a car is 1 ton+ of metal it is not safe and using them as a weapon is a poor thing to normalise IMO.

I’m right behind this tactic. The police aren’t indiscriminately running “children” over but stopping violent offenders so not sure what Diane Abbots problem is. She is an idiot though.

It's amazing that people saying "I think it's a terribel idea to have teh police running poeple over"

Is the same as "defending thugs".

NothingOnTellyAgain they are doing it in circumstances where there is judged to be the best tactic in reducing further risk to the public. What do you suggest they do instead?

Labour have a very good point. If there were more coppers on the beat we wouldn’t need these utterly moronic scorpian squads.

So nothing What is your suggestion for stopping these violent offenders?

If there were more coppers on the beat we wouldn’t need these utterly moronic scorpian squads.

More coppers on the beat would be futile against violent offenders on mopeds.

Sounds like the policing from 'Life on Mars' - The golden age of policing, when cops were allowed to get on with their jobs rather than police hurt feelings on social media.