Crimes by marauding robbers on mopeds more than doubled last year as police struggle to tackle the menace.
Latest figures show 11,596 crimes took place in London, more than twice the 5,047 offences recorded in the previous 12 months.
And the crimewave is set to soar further with up to six times as many robberies, thefts and violent assaults taking place in April and May.
Some of the attacks involve acid as a weapon, contributing to a predicted 11 per cent increase in such incidents, after figures doubled last year.
Some 294 acid attacks were recorded by the end of July, suggesting around 504 will take place by the end of the year, compared with 454 in 2016.
CCTV image of moped gang targeting wealthy residents, attacking a businessman with a hammer. The gang stole a £60,000 watch from a businessman outside his North London home
Bike thieves with a Yamaha R6 motorcycle showing the immobiliser
Specialist units in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Merseyside have been set up to tackle criminals using motorcycles to target victims and evade police. Young thugs on stolen motorcycles are wreaking havoc, robbing victims, snatching phones and launching daring smash and grab raids.
Last month Scotland Yard chief Cressida Dick said criminals had simply struck on a tactic that was giving them ‘success’ as her officers raced to catch up. Police are now using innovative methods, including ‘DNA’ sprays to mark fleeing suspects so they can be identified later and ‘stinger’ devices to puncture tyres.
Footage has emerged of police ramming two suspects on one bike, although in many cases officers abandon chases because it is too dangerous. Some suspects have taken advantage of strict rules on police pursuits by abandoning helmets to raise the stakes.
Figures for the year ending in March were obtained by Tory politicians at London’s City Hall and reveal the majority of offences take place in just four central boroughs. A total of 6,403 offences involving suspects on mopeds took place in Westminster, Islington, Hackney and Camden alone last year.
They also underlined the pitiful rate at which police catch offenders, with just three in every 100 crimes involving mopeds solved last year.
This is because many of the crimes involve masked thieves snatching mobile phones on pavements, leaving few clues behind.
Specialist units in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Merseyside have been set up to tackle criminals using motorcycles to target victims and evade police
Tory politician Steve O’Connell called on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to host an emergency summit to discuss combating the surge.
‘The mayor needs to take the lead in tackling the growing number of violent crimes taking place on London’s streets,’ he said. ‘Young people are being attacked and killed and something urgently needs to be done.’
Last month, nationwide figures showed almost five million crimes in total were recorded in the year to March, a 10 per cent rise on the previous year. Among this was a 7 per cent rise in theft, including a 20 per cent leap in stolen vehicles and a 10 per cent increase in shoplifting.