Police officers following orders to ‘tactically ram’ moped thieves could face criminal charges

Five police officers are reportedly facing criminal charges for ramming thieves off their mopeds under new policing tactics signed off by Scotland Yard.

The controversial move, introduced in 2017, sees officers using their vehicles to stop dangerous chases and arrest suspects.

Scotland Yard signed off on ‘tactical ramming’ after a surge in the use of mopeds in violent robberies and muggings.

But since the strategy was introduced, eight separate incidents involving 10 officers were reported to the police watchdog.

Five of them are still under investigation and face charges such as actual bodily harm.

One case involves two officers who rammed a 14-year-old off a moped in Uxbridge, west London, in February 2018, causing him to break his leg.

The other three are being investigated for ramming a man off a stolen motorbike in Ealing, west London, in March 2018.

The cases are examined by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which will decide whether the officers should be referred to the Crown Prosecution to face criminal charges.

Police unveiled the tough new approach last year with dramatic footage of moped muggers being wiped out.

Commissioner Cressida Dick said pursuit drivers are ‘supremely well trained’ and the ramming method has resulted in a ‘very small’ number of injuries.

‘My officers make life-and-death decisions every day of the week, they’re very accountable,’ she said.

‘They make the best possible decisions. We are in a risk business.’

But some officers fear they will not be protected from legal action when tackling moped gangs.

Stephanie Holland, whose boyfriend Danny Pearce, 31, was stabbed to death for his £7,000 Rolex watch by a moped mugger in south-east London, criticised the decision to investigate the officers.

She told the Sun Online: ‘If police officers are trying to prevent crime and they have evidence to see that someone is committing a crime, I don’t think they should be investigated.

‘If a criminal is doing something, I don’t think the officer should be prosecuted because they are doing their job and that’s a good thing. I don’t have any sympathy for them.

‘If someone is committing a crime that could harm someone else, then any sort of prevention is good and it doesn’t matter about the consequences.’

Ms Dick said the freedom to ram scooters was brought in to deter moped crime.

‘We’ve had to put the fear back into the criminal,’ she said.

‘These are people who have been repeatedly left in no doubt whatsoever that there’s a police car right behind them.

‘If you look over your shoulder and drive on as fast as possible, putting the public in danger, you should expect we will come after you.’