Met Police tackling phone snatchers with new electric bikes

The capital’s police force has added a fleet of Surron electric bikes to help it deal with the blight of thieves stealing mobile phones while riding often illegally altered e-bikes.

The Surron Ultra Bee electric bikes carry Met Police markings and with their ultra distinctive livery, they are hard to miss. The Met has chosen the bikes as they offer greater mobility and low speeds meaning they are ideal for areas around central London.

The bikes also come with front and rear blue flashing lights and a siren as loud as that found on a patrol car. Officers are fully trained, insured and registered to use the Surrons legally on the roads as motor vehicles, rather than e-bikes.

“These plug a gap in the Met’s toolbox to deal with criminality around the west end of London.”

This investment in the Met’s electric fleet forms part of a crackdown on criminals who are using modified Surrons that exceed the 15.5mph speed limit for e-bikes.

Sharing a video on the Met’s LinkedIn channel, the officer who shared how the Met is using the bikes said they give them the option to target criminals who are using bikes to flee the scene of crimes, where they are often very quick and difficult to access, risking hurting bystanders as well as those targeted in phone thefts.

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