Nine superbikes capable of reaching 118mph were unveiled today as Scotland Yard’s newest weapon in the war against criminals on mopeds.
Specialist officers will use the lighter and faster BMW motorcycles to catch thugs during chases through London’s streets, after crimes such as phone snatches, gem store raids and acid attacks.
Police say the bespoke F750 GS-P machines are so narrow they can operate anywhere.
The Met are Britain’s first force to use the bikes, bought for a six-figure sum.
They have an 850cc twin-cylinder engine for fast acceleration and the latest police sirens and radios, plus advanced stability, suspension and anti-lock brake
systems. Chief Inspector Jim Corbett, from Operation Venice, the Met’s task force targeting moped crime, said the bikes will give them a “clear tactical advantage”.
The number of moped crimes in London has almost halved after the Yard started ramming into suspects, with offences down from 15,168 in 2018 to 8,721 in 2019.
