London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Mar 30, 2023

Inside the capital’s terrifying e-bike crime epidemic

Inside the capital’s terrifying e-bike crime epidemic

Street robberies went up 19 per cent in the year to February — with perpetrators on super fast bikes escaping with frightening ease. Anthony France and Jonathan Kanengoni go on patrol with the Venice Squad, a specialist Met police unit tackling the problem.
The £4,900 Sur-Ron off-road cycle is so lightweight it can reach speeds of up to 50mph. Police say that by weaving through traffic the electric bike can easily beat the 40 minutes it often takes a car to get from Green Park to Finsbury Park. A.

This is a well-worn route for the stealth e-bikes when used by masked robbers behind a 19 per cent rise in luxury watch and mobile phone snatches. Last month, Evening Standard journalists joined the Metropolitan Police’s elite Operation Venice squad on patrol. They are cracking down on these kinds of offenders by targeting robbery hotspots in the central, south and west parts of London. Each week an average of 180 victims are attacked for their valuables on the street. Like paralegal Kathryn, 24, who was bundled screaming into a side road near Waterloo after muggers spotted a £3,700 Rolex on her wrist.

Kathryn said: “I was on the phone to my friend who I was meeting. As I got to the zebra crossing, these two guys, one with a Covid face mask and the other with a hat pulled down over his eye, whispered: ‘Pretty girl, let me talk to you’.

“I firmly said ‘no’ and carried on walking, but one grabbed my wrist. He started dragging me by the hand.

“My friend could hear me on the phone screaming. They were pulling me into a side street, I thought I was going to get raped. Fortunately, some members of the public ran towards me. The men ran down an alleyway and weren’t seen again.”

She called 999 and police arrived swiftly but the pair were long gone.

At Southwark police station, Detective Inspector Treasa O’Donoghue (below) is briefing Venice interceptor officers before they hit the streets at 3pm. The team, in marked cars and on BMW motorbikes, are authorised to use “tactical contact” to bump suspects off mopeds or e-bikes.

Although most violent crime rates, including murders, have fallen in the capital, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley says the rise in muggings is unacceptable. Robbery increased by 19 per cent in the year to February and a quarter of the offences involved a knife. Smartphones are the property most often stolen, followed by cash, purses and jewellery. A total of 9,261 phones have been snatched in the past 12 months, a 23 per cent increase.

Sir Mark said robbers are preying on commuters and tourists returning after the Covid pandemic. “Our operations need to be sophisticated. It’s not just about targeting on the streets. We’re doing undercover operations to catch offenders but also identifying where the stolen phones are going, who’s recycling them, and going after them because that cuts off the criminal business.”

Such is the reputation of the Venice squad, though, that within hours of them flooding an area, criminals have shared the news on Snapchat or plotted officers’ locations on social media.

Heading out with the squad in a marked Volvo, to Borough High Street and then towards Elephant and Castle, our reporter notices how many mopeds and motorbikes are on the roads.

Within minutes, PCs Victoria Blanks and Michael Dobson receive a report of a young man on a Yamaha TMax scooter. A police computer check shows the vehicle is uninsured and was recently sold at auction. It previously failed to stop for officers and the registered keeper has a long criminal history. PC Dobson accelerates and, with police motorbike rider Sgt Ryan Perry leading, we pursue the TMax to Bermondsey with blue lights and a siren.

The driver, in his twenties, is stopped but is allowed on his way after proving he insured the bike a few days ago. The police system hadn’t been updated. Within an hour, he is seen circling the area with a pillion passenger as if scouring for police patrols. He is pulled over by a local unit and again let go. It’s a game of cat and mouse.

O’Donoghue’s biggest headache is the Sur-Ron, first used in at least two fatal shootings on Merseyside in 2021. The Chinese-made e-bike is silent closing in on victims and is capable of high speeds with a small modification to its battery output. The Yard is holding talks with the Home Office and Birmingham-based Sur-Ron UK, Britain’s sole legitimate importer and distributor.

On February 15, police arrested an 18-year-old on a Sur-Ron after he robbed an American tourist and three other people within 15 minutes in Westminster. Officers had spotted two suspects on electric bikes who saw them and made off. One mounted the pavement through bollards onto a pedestrianised area. The other rider went down three lanes of oncoming traffic in Euston Road to escape. After being bumped off his e-bike by an officer in a Volvo estate, he fled on foot discarding four mobiles.

But the teenager was arrested just after 10pm in Collier Street, near King’s Cross St Pancras. Three devices were reunited with their owners and the suspect bailed.

In June, police received multiple calls to suspects on Sur-Ron bikes committing robberies in Oxford Street. After a short chase, they were detained with several stolen phones and a blade.

Det Insp O’Donoghue admits: “These Sur-Ron e-bikes are difficult to target. They can go through red lights, with or against the flow of traffic, carrying out phone snatches along the way. If we get an influx of them, it will be trouble.

“But at the moment there are very few in London. They all look the same and have no distinguishing marks. The speeds they can get to are incredible.”

Recent cases highlight the importance of dialling 999 immediately if Londoners see a robbery or have just been robbed. On Valentine’s Day, five teenagers aged between 17 and 18 were arrested an hour after a “terrifying” attack near Tottenham Court Road.

The males had assaulted another teenager and stolen his phone at about 9pm. Officers from the Violent Crime Taskforce were on patrol when the victim made them aware and they tracked the suspects to Leyton. The stolen mobile was found on one of them. The suspects have been released on bail.

Det Insp O’Donoghue blames the rise in robbery on “the times we’re living in”, adding: “It’s an easy crime to commit, it’s quick. But what we have done is apprehend those responsible and put a case against them by having officers with the specific skill set to target them.

“My message to victims is phone 999 straight away. Ask a member of the public, shop or restaurant if you can borrow their phone. Sometimes people ring us two hours later, but by then it’s lost.” She added: “People should be able to do or wear what they want, however, I’m asking them to be careful in public.

“Plan your route and keep an eye out, especially when coming home late at night or standing outside clubs, Tube stations and transport hubs.” As Met chief Sir Mark alluded to, the Yard will step up its war on resellers willing to pay hundreds of pounds for the latest smartphones. When a phone is stolen, it is often sold on quickly before it can be traced. Skilled thieves can reset a phone and swap its SIM card in minutes.

Gangs have been caught exporting handsets overseas. Others will crack the mobile’s security to steal personal data for fraud, and there is a huge black market for such information. Apple ID, financial and Amazon accounts can be hacked to make large purchases, and some offenders will seek to use photos, texts or emails for blackmail.

In Kathryn’s case, the police investigation found no trace of the robbers on CCTV or the method of escape.

She said: “I felt violated… The robbers must have been watching me. It has made me very wary of going around London. I don’t wear expensive things any more, I don’t wear my watch, I don’t wear my necklace. It’s not safe.

“When police watched footage of me trying to thwart them, the officer said: ‘You put up a good fight.’ But I have post-traumatic stress disorder — never has someone grabbed and assaulted me.”

Sur-Ron UK owner Andrew Shepherd said the firm is fully co-operating with law enforcement. He added it was disappointing that e-bikes, originally designed for sport and to reduce noise or air pollution, were being misused.

His authorised dealerships require customers to provide their personal details and register a warranty to deter crime. But Mr Shepherd believes robbers are importing cycles or buying them from online sellers.

He told the Standard: “We don’t want people committing crime on electric bikes and Sur-Ron is getting a bad name. “For every one that creeps into the UK, we are not selling so it’s in our interest to work with police forces. “The off-road variant should only ever be ridden on private land and never on the public highway.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

London Daily
Close
0:00
0:00
Tsai Ing-wen received a "warm welcome" from the Chinese people in the US.
You Are So Beautiful
EU's von der Leyen: "We know this is an era where we rely on one single supplier. China. 98% of our rare earth supply."
Postmodern Jukebox European Tour Version
China and Brazil have signed a new deal that will allow them to trade in their own currencies, bypassing the US dollar as an intermediary
An old French tune (by Georges Brassens) Pomplamoose ft. John Schroeder
Elon Musk and Others Call for Pause on A.I., Citing ‘Profound Risks to Society’
Sattahip Motor Show 20
Nashville style execution
SONATE AU CLAIR DE LUNE - Moonlight sonata
“We've had evidence prior to the pandemic that masks were largely ineffective at preventing community transmission of influenza “
A kiss to build a dream on
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz:
Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover)
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz rejects being labeled a "billionaire"
Mean Blues
Jamie Dimon is being deposed over JPMorgan Chase role in Epstein lawsuits
La Chansonnette
This is how an electric car saves all the energy that he would have spent if he had lived 50 years longer.
Pattaya Addicts
Brand new security footage has just been released to the public showing the Active shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale drove to Covenant Church School in her Honda Fit this morning, parked, and shot her way into the building
Franz Liszt - Liebestraum - Love Dream
Social Media censoring users for saying the true
Dream a little dream of me
Smart Iranian fashion designer teaching dummy TV anchors lesson about reality
Unchained Melody sung like you've NEVER heard!
AMERICA, 2023
Dave Brubeck - Take Five
U.S. charges FTX's Bankman-Fried with paying $40 million bribe
Édith Piaf - Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (Sofie)
Fallen 'Crypto King' Who Owes Millions to Investors Was Kidnapped and Tortured
Rondo Alla Turca
Regulators blame social media for SVB's rapid collapse: 'Complete game changer'
Kiss of fire
AOC explains why she opposes banning TikTok
Tom Jones - I´ll Never Fall In Love Again 1967, 1989, 2001
UK: Humza Yousaf replaces Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader and first minister in Scotland
Israel Cachao López - Guajira Clásica
In a dramatic U-turn against His Government: Judicial Reform Legislation Must Be Halted, Says Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
Edward Maya - Stereo Love (feat. Vika Jigulina) (Extended Mix)
Gordon Moore, a co-founder of Intel Corporation, died at 94
Strauss - Radetzky March - Karajan
Powell: Silicon Valley Bank was an 'outlier'
La vie en rose
Bordeaux town hall set on fire in France pro democracy protest
The Temptations - My Girl (Smokey Robinson Tribute) 2006 Kennedy Cent
Police violence in Paris
Orlando Cachaito Lopez Redencion
Paris: Some of the police are stepping down and showing solidarity with the protesters.
Edith Piaf - NON, JE NE REGRETTE RIEN
Donald Trump arrested – Twitter goes wild with doctored pictures
RADETZKY MARCH-2008-Wien, New Year Concert
NYPD is setting up barricades outside Manhattan Criminal Court ahead of Trump arrest.
Only you (And you alone)
Credit Suisse's Scandalous History Resulted in an Obvious Collapse - It's time for regulators who fail to do their job to be held accountable and serve as an example by being behind bars.
Strangers In The Night
Home Secretary Suella Braverman tours potential migrant housing in Rwanda as asylum deal remains mired in legal challenges
Charles Aznavour - La Boheme
Goldman Sachs cuts outlook for European bank debt over Credit Suisse crisis
Summer time
Paris Rioting vs Macron anti democratic law
Sting and Stevie Wonder - Fragile (from Sting's 60th birthday concert)
'Sexual Fantasy' Assignment At US School Outrages Parents
Aux Champs Elysees
Orbán Viktor: the restructuring of the power relations in the whole of Europe is taking place
Stand By Me - Ben E. King (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover)
Credit Suisse to borrow $54 billion from Swiss central bank
La Mer (Beyond the Sea) – Avalon Jazz Band
The BBC problem about China
She
Strikes-Hit UK Pledges 94 Billion Euros In Cost-Of-Living Budget
Nathalie Song by Enzo Petrachi Stjepan Hauser Cello
Russian Hackers Preparing New Cyber Assault Against Ukraine
Shape of My Heart - Sting (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover)
"Will Fly Wherever International Law Allows": US Warns Russia After Drone Incident
Radiohead - Creep
UK face biggest fall in spending power for 70 years
Quizás,Quizás,Quizás - Andrea Bocelli - Jennifer Lopez
Jeremy Hunt insists his Budget will get young parents and over-50s back into work
Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps - Multi-Couples
If this was in Tehran, Moscow or Hong Kong
Pentatonix Havana
Announcing GPT-4
Paula Cole - Autumn Leaves
TRUMP: "Standing before you today, I am the only candidate who can make this promise: I will prevent World War III."
Oscar Benton Bensonhurst Blues
Drew Barrymore
OH NANANA vs ABUSADAMENTE
China is calling out the US, UK, and Australia on their submarine pact, claiming they are going further down a dangerous road
Nina Simone - ”I Put A Spell On You”. Vezi aici cum cântă Jeremy Ragsd
A brief banking situation report
NIGHTWISH - The Phantom Of The Opera
We are witnessing widespread bank fails and the president just gave a 5 min speech then walked off camera.
Motorshow 2016 Tanjay Negros Oriental
Donald Trump's asked by Tucker Carlson question on if the U.S. should support regime change in Russia?.
Monica Bellucci - Ti Amo
'No relation to the American SVB': India's SVC Bank acts to calm depositors amid brand name confusion.
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean Milena The Voice France 2018
Good news: The U.S. government is now guaranteeing all deposits, held by, Silicon Valley Bank, and the funds are available as of today
Michael Buble (Help Me Make It Through The Night) feat Loren Allred
Memories Canon In D - Maroon 5 (Boyce Avenue piano acoustic cover)
Matteo Simoni - Marina
Maroon 5 - One More Night
Maroon 5 - Memories
Mark Knopfler - Brothers In Arms (Berlin 2007 Live)
Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris - Romeo And Juliet (Real Live Roadrunni
Marina, Marina - The LUCKY DUCKIES intimist live concert at Guimarães
Major Lazer & DJ Snake – Lean On Mauranne The Voice France 2016
Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet - Joslin - Henri Mancini, Nino Rota
LoLa & Hauser - Love Story
Linkin Park Jay-Z - Numb Encore (Live 8 2005)
Hallelujah Mennel Ibtissem, The Voice France Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen - Dance Me to the End of Love
Leonard Cohen & Natasha Rostova - Dance me to the end of love
La casa de papel - Bella Ciao
La Camisa Negra
L'italiano (Toto Cutugno) - The Gypsy Queens
Juanes - La Camisa Negra
Jonathan and Charlotte - Britain's Got Talent 2012 Live Semi Final - U
John Powell - Assassin's Tango
Joe Cocker - You Can Leave Your Hat On (LIVE in Dortmund)
Joe Cocker - Unchain My Heart 2002 Live
Joe Cocker - A Whiter Shade Of Pale
Jay Z & Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind LIVE
Jason Mraz - Im Yours (live)
Jarrod Radnich - Bohemian Rhapsody - Virtuosic Piano Solo
James Blunt - You're Beautiful
James Blunt - You're Beautiful & Bonfire Heart (Live at The Nobel Peac)
If You Go Away - Helen Merrill & Stan Getz (Tribute to Virna Lisi)
I'LL BE MISSING YOU
I Say a Little Prayer
Hotel California ( Eagles ) 1994 Live
Historia de un amor - Luz Casal. Vezi interpretarea Biancăi Sumanariu
Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover) on Spot
Heart - Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin - Kennedy Center Honors
HAVANA by Camila Cabello Zumba Pre Cooldown TML Crew Kramer Pastra
HAUSER and Señorita - I Will Always Love You
HAUSER - Waka Waka
HAUSER - Sway
HAUSER - Lambada
HAUSER - Historia de un Amor
HAUSER - Despacito
Great Pretender
Georgia May Foote & Giovanni Pernice Samba to 'Volare' - Strictly Come
Gary Moore - Still Got The Blues
GIPSY KINGS VOLARE Penelope Cruz
Fugees - Killing Me Softly With His Song
French Latino - Historia de un Amor
For A Few Dollars More The Danish National Symphony Orchestra (Live)
Flashdance • What a Feeling • Irene Cara
Filip Rudan - “Someone You Loved” Audicija 4 The Voice Hrvatska Sez
Eric Clapton - Wonderful Tonight
Enya - Only Time
Enrique Iglesias - Bailando (English Version) ft. Sean Paul
Enrique Iglesias - Bailamos
Elena Yerevan Historia de un amor
Ed Sheeran - Shape of You (Official Music Video)
Ed Sheeran - Perfect Symphony [with Andrea Bocelli]
Ed Sheeran - Perfect (Official Music Video)
Easy On Me - Adele (Boyce Avenue 90’s style piano acoustic cover) on S
ERA - Ameno
ELENA YEREVAN- Cancion Del Mariachi-IN STUDIO-2017 DPR
Dust In The Wind - Kansas (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover)
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Despacito x Shape Of You - Pentatonix
Deep Purple - Child In Time - Live (1970)
David Foster When A Man Loves A WomanIt's A Mans World (SealMichael Bo
Dance me to the end of Love ( Pi-Air Design )
Coolio - Gangsta's Paradise (feat. L.V.) [Official Music Video]
Conquest Of Paradise (Vangelis), played on Böhm Emporio organ
Cielito Lindo
Chico & The Gypsies - Bamboleo
Canción Del Mariachi - Antonio Banderas, Los Lobos • Desperado
Camila Cabello - Havana (Audio) ft. Young Thug
Camila Cabello - Havana ( cover by J.Fla )
California Dreamin' - The Mamas & The Papas José Feliciano (Boyce Ave
Buster Benton - Money Is The Name of The Game
Hallelujah Pentatonix
Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy (Official Music Video)
Bob Dylan - Knockin' On Heaven's Door Emilia The Voice Kids France
Besame Mucho - Cesaria Evora
Ben E. King - Stand by Me Sax Cover Alexandra Ilieva Thomann
Bella Ciao
Bella Ciao - INSTRUMENTAL
Beautiful in White x Canon in D (Piano Cover by Riyandi Kusuma)
Bad Romance - Vintage 1920's Gatsby Style Lady Gaga Cover ft. Ariana Savalas & Sarah Reich(1)
BELLA CIAO 2020 - KARAOKE ITALIANO
BAMBOLEO - Gipsy Kings • Antonio Banderas, Katya Virshilas
BAILANDO (original)
Awesome Ukrainian yodeler - SOFIA SHKIDCHENKO (with English subtitles)
Avicii - The Nights
Atom - The Great Gig in the Sky
Aretha Franklin - (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (Official Ly
Antonio Banderas - Cancion del Mariachi (Desperado)
André Rieu - Zorba's Dance (Sirtaki)
André Rieu - Can't Help Falling In Love
André Rieu & Mirusia - Ave Maria
Andrew Reyes Elton John - Don't Let The Sun Go Down The Voice 2020 (
Andreas Kümmert Whiter Shade Of Pale The Voice of Germany 2013 Showd
And I Love You So
All About That Bass - Postmodern Jukebox European Tour Version
Alan Walker - Faded (Piano Cover)
Ain't No Sunshine -- Bill Withers (cover by Canen 12 y.o.)
African music
Adriana Vidović - “Creep” Audicija 4 The Voice Hrvatska Sezona 3
Adriana Vidović - “Believer” Nokaut 3 The Voice Hrvatska Sezona 3
A Fistful of Dollars - The Danish National Symphony Orchestra and Tuva
4 Beautiful Soundtracks Relaxing Piano [10min]
2CELLOS - Whole Lotta Love vs. Beethoven 5th Symphony [OFFICIAL VIDEO]
2CELLOS - Smooth Criminal (Live at Suntory Hall, Tokyo)
2CELLOS - Smells Like Teen Spirit [Live at Sydney Opera House]
2CELLOS - Despacito [OFFICIAL VIDEO]
13 Year Old Girl Playing Il Silenzio (The Silence) - André Rieu
094.All About That Bass
00 - SADNESS PART 1
(Ghost) Riders In the Sky (American Outlaws Live at Nassau Coliseum, 1
(Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Bryan Adams (Boyce Avenue ft. Conn
What a wonderful world
Moon river
×