Police Ram Moped Thief Clean Off Bike In High Speed Chase

The video shows the police car carrying out 'tactical contact' in Victoria Park in a bid to detain the suspect on a busy street in the capital.

It was filmed for Channel 5 documentary Snatch and Grab: Moped Gangs on the Rampage, which details the Metropolitan Police's tactics to crack down on motorbike crime.

The tactics mean that specially trained drivers are able to reduce the need for pursuits and prevent injury occurring to offenders and members of the public.

On Monday night's episode of Snatch and Grab, officers Clem Jones and Alan Pearce were on the lookout for moped criminals.

A call came in for a red moped being driven by a man in a hi-vis vest and moments later the pair saw a bike with that description.

The rider came down the street in the opposite direction to the police officers, as pedestrians travelled along the pavement.

The alleged thief was then squirted with a 'water pistol' as the police car rammed into him, knocking him off the bike. This gave an officer on foot the opportunity to tackle the suspect in an attempt to detain him.

Staffordshire Police launched the new scheme, which was put to the test in a mock crime scene. The police officer just has to pull the safety pin, aim and spray the suspected criminal. The liquid then links the offender to the crime scene long after the incident has taken place.

Gary Higgins, consultant director of security services at SmartWater, the company that developed the spray, said: "This is the latest effective deterrent perfected by SmartWater which can be used in the ongoing fight against crime.

"The cans dispense a spray stream of uniquely coded liquid to accurately, forensically tag offenders up to eight to 10 metres away. It is invisible to the naked eye but glows under UV light.

"The liquid is near impossible to remove and will remain on skin and hair for weeks or months, even with frequent washing."

Following the arrest on the programme, one of the officers said: "The actual conclusion to the pursuit was brought about but tactical contact. That is one of the many strands of options we have to us.

"On this occasion, it was simply justified by the manner of riding on a foot path, through a park, endangering people's lives. We can't allow that to continue.

"If we hadn't had done this, what would he have done further down the road?"