Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has welcomed a major expansion of the Metropolitan Police’s specialist e-bike fleet as officers step up efforts to tackle phone theft, robbery and criminals using illegally modified bikes.
The Met has added 20 new Sur-Ron e-bikes, increasing its fleet from five to 25. Their speed and agility allow specially trained officers to pursue suspects through traffic, narrow streets, footpaths and even up staircases—areas that conventional police cars and motorcycles cannot always reach.
The expansion forms part of a wider drive to use technology and intelligence-led policing to target organised phone-theft networks and other forms of street crime.
The Met says phone theft has fallen by more than 13,000 offences during the past year. Neighbourhood crime also fell by 14 per cent in the 12 months to July, representing more than 33,000 fewer offences across the capital.
This included 23,455 fewer thefts from individuals, a reduction of 24 per cent, alongside falls in personal robbery and vehicle crime. Officers have also seized more than 2,500 illegal e-bikes and e-scooters so far this year.
The bikes have already been used to pursue suspects attempting to escape police. In one recent operation, an officer followed a moped rider through traffic and into a housing estate before arresting the suspect, who was found with a significant quantity of Class A drugs.
Sadiq Khan said:
“The Met’s new fleet of Sur-Ron e-bikes sends a clear message that London will not tolerate criminal behaviour.”
The Labour Mayor said record City Hall investment was helping the Met combine new technology with stronger neighbourhood policing to stay ahead of criminals and build a safer London.
The bikes themselves have been funded using money recovered from criminal activity, while the Labour Government has supported specialist rider training in the West End.
Policing Minister Sarah Jones said the new fleet would help officers reach incidents faster, target offenders more effectively and crack down on crime in some of London’s busiest areas.
Despite the progress, police leaders acknowledge that phone theft remains a serious concern and that more work is required to secure arrests, charges and convictions. Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Kaya Comer-Schwartz has also stressed the importance of improving the wider criminal justice system and strengthening support for victims.
The new bikes are currently being deployed across several boroughs, including Westminster, Camden, Islington, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Kensington and Chelsea, and Hammersmith and Fulham.
