Plain Clothes Police Arrest Moped Thieves At Roundabout

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Day after day, night after night, police officers up and down the country use their bravery and quick thinking to bring criminals to justice.

All too often their work goes unnoticed as we civilians go about our daily lives, hoping to steer clear of any dangerous or bad intentioned individuals.

However, every now and then we see images or footage which drive home how closely the everyday hustle and bustle intersects with the world of police work.

A dramatic dashcam video has now gone viral, which just shows the extent to which police officers will go when carrying out their duties.

Watch the video for yourself below:

The footage show two plain-clothed officers riding scrambler bikes stopping people on mopeds at a hectic roundabout in Moston, Manchester.

The unmarked police bikes can be seen swerving expertly to a halt, just in front of the two mopeds, and cutting off their path.

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One moped rider can be seen colliding with an undercover officer before making a desperate run for it.

However, officers were able to restrain the two people who had been travelling together on the other moped.

A marked police motorbike can then be seen appearing suddenly, before speeding off, perhaps chasing the man who escaped.

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The reason behind the stop has not been given, however there has been concerns in recent times of thieves making off with phones on mopeds.

In February 2018, the Manchester Evening News reported on a rash of incidents where riders mounted pavements and snatched phones from pedestrians.

In November 2017, The Guardian reported how moped-enabled crime in London had risen 10-fold since 2011, up to over 5,000 incidents a year.

The City of London Police have the following information on their website:

Criminal often use bikes and mopeds to snatch mobile phones from people, particularly at busy locations such as outside tube stations, shopping centres or concert venues. Often victims are approached from behind while talking or texting on phones.

Criminals on mopeds or bicycles may mount the pavement to grab the phone or snatch it from the road. Sometimes when it’s a moped, a pillion passenger will snatch it.

While most thefts happen between 6 and 10 at night, criminals operate during the day so always look out for what’s going on around you.

In June 2018, a former moped gang member told The Telegraph how it had been possible for him to make £2,000 a day through his crimes.

The 25-year-old former thief also explained how the crime was ‘addictive:’

There’s still that buzz behind thieving. You just think why do nine hours of work when I can get a moped and earn three times the money?

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Julia Banim

Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.