Latest news with #DameDianaJohnson
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Phone snatchers' e-scooters to be CRUSHED within hours of seizure amid police crackdown on London's mobile theft epidemic
E-scooters and e-bikes driven by brazen phone snatchers are to be destroyed by police within hours of being seized amid a crackdown on London 's mobile theft epidemic. Previously officers had to warn offenders before taking away and crushing a bike, scooter or any other vehicle driven in an anti-social manner or if it was used to facilitate a theft. But now, new powers will mean police won't have to wait two weeks before throwing them away and will be able to do so in a two-day time frame. Ministers argued that the current two-week deadline made it less challenging for offenders to re-obtain their vehicles, meaning little discouragement against repeat offending. And while e-bikes and scooters have increasingly annoyed pedestrians, they too are being more frequently used to snatch mobile phones out of the hands of unassuming walkers. According to Metropolitan Police figures, 66,528 phones were stolen in the capital in the year leading up to September 2024, Over the same period in Westminster, 22,253 thefts were reported equating to 85.4 incidents per every 1,000 people. Dame Diana Johnson, the policing minister, told the Telegraph: 'Anti-social and reckless driving brings misery to communities across the country, from dangerous street racing to off-road bikes tearing through local parks. 'By enabling police to seize and dispose of these vehicles within just 48 hours, we're giving our officers the tools they need to deliver immediate results and providing communities the swift justice they deserve. 'As part of our Plan for Change, these new powers send a clear message that anti-social behaviour, whatever form it takes, will not be tolerated in our local communities.' The Government are also looking to hike up fines for seizing, towing and crushing vehicles, as a previous consultation found fees were last increased nearly two decades ago in 2008. It comes as Scotland Yard has decided to fight back against London's mobile theft epidemic by using invisible DNA. Officers hope that marking e-bikes, an increasingly popular mode of getaway for marauding robbers, will allow them to track, catch and prosecute suspects. They are also spraying riders' clothes and skin with the invisible dye, which contains a unique DNA code only seen under UV light. The substance, known as SelectaDNA, sticks on a target for several months allowing police to link them to a specific theft via the special code. The innovative method is being introduced in various hotspots around the country including London, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Scotland. Inspector Dan Jones, who leads the Watford neighbourhood policing team in Hertfordshire, said: 'It's another tool in our box of tactics to make it increasingly difficult for criminals to operate. 'The spray will enable us to identify those responsible without the need to engage in risky high-speed pursuits. 'We want this to serve as a warning to those involved – expect a knock on the door, because we will catch up with you.' The spray is also being trialled in Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland and Sergeant Callum Dalgleish-Little said: 'We know that antisocial behaviour particularly in residential areas, public parks, and cycle paths, is concerning for local communities. 'This spray will help officers have another tool at their disposal to detect and deter such criminality. 'The spray is deployed by trained officers and can be used on bikes we believe to be stolen or ridden illegally.' It comes as London has been hit with a phone snatching epidemic, with the issue reaching crisis point as victims as young as four being targeted. Discussing the problem, Paul, who works by the London Eye, previously told MailOnline: 'I see it all the time. I would say every day. It's worst around this touristy part of London - particularly along Westminster Bridge. 'It happens to tourists a lot because they're unaware. I try to warn them but it doesn't always work. 'One time, a family asked someone to take a photo of them in front of the London Eye. And the guy they chose ran off with their phone. 'Usually though, they come past on their bikes and snatch the phone before anyone has a chance to react. It's a real issue.' The 51-year-old said he sees the same culprits at work repeatedly, adding: 'There are groups of them who are here all the time,' Paul said. 'The police know about them. 'I've had them trying to steal my phone too. Even though they know that I know who they are. It's bold.' Ovye, who works for a bus tour company, said the thieves target 'anyone' - and that even children aren't off limits. He said: 'It can happen to anyone. I once saw someone snatch a phone out of a little girl's hand while she was taking a picture. She can't have been more than four years old. Unbelievable.' Met Police commander, Owain Richards, told MailOnline: 'We understand the impact that mobile phone theft can have on victims – it's an invasive and sometimes violent crime - and we're committed to protecting Londoners and tackling this issue as we make the capital safer. 'Met officers are targeting resources to hotspot areas, such as Westminster, Lambeth and Newham, with increased patrols and plain clothes officers which deter criminals and make officers more visibly available to members of the community. 'We continue to use data and technology to build intelligence and track stolen items to target offenders. We are also working with phone firms to 'design out' the ability for phones to be reused and sold on as we seek to dismantle the criminal market that fuels robbery and theft. 'We encourage people to report as soon as they can whenever they have been a victim of mobile phone theft, so officers can investigate swiftly.'
Times
6 days ago
- General
- Times
E-scooters could be crushed within 48 hours if used antisocially
Police will get the power to crush e-scooters, mopeds, off-road bikes and cars within hours in an effort to improve issues surrounding antisocial behaviour, mobile phone theft and drug dealing. Officers will no longer be required to give an offender a warning before seizing a vehicle that has been involved in antisocial behaviour. They will then be able to destroy the vehicle after 48 hours under powers to be granted by the Home Office. Currently, forces must wait 14 days before destroying vehicles used in antisocial behaviour but police believe that this period is too long as it allows offenders to reclaim their vehicles and does not provide a sufficiently strong deterrent. Dame Diana Johnson, the policing minister, announced plans to change the law to bring this window forward to just 48 hours after growing anger at the antisocial use of e-bikes and off-road bikes that was blighting communities across the country. A consultation on the plans has started before ministers bring forward legislation.
Telegraph
7 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Phone thieves' e-bikes to be crushed hours after they are caught
Police will receive powers to destroy e-bikes and e-scooters hours after they are seized in a crackdown on anti-social behaviour and snatch thefts. Officers will no longer have to give a warning to an offender before seizing and destroying a bike, scooter or car that has been driven in an anti-social way or used to perpetrate the theft of a mobile phone or bag. Instead of waiting 14 days before being able to dispose of them, police will have powers to destroy them within 48 hours. Ministers said the current 14-day deadline made it easier for offenders to reclaim their bikes, scooters or vehicles, which provided a limited deterrent to repeat offending. While e-bikes and scooters have become an increasing source of irritation for pedestrians, they are, along with mopeds and scooters, being increasingly used in snatch thefts. The number of snatch thefts, where devices or personal items are grabbed from a person by a thief, rose from 58,000 in 2023 to 99,000 last year – the highest level since 2003, according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales. 'Swift justice' Dame Diana Johnson, the policing minister, said: 'Anti-social and reckless driving brings misery to communities across the country, from dangerous street racing to off-road bikes tearing through local parks. 'By enabling police to seize and dispose of these vehicles within just 48 hours, we're giving our officers the tools they need to deliver immediate results and providing communities the swift justice they deserve. 'As part of our Plan for Change, these new powers send a clear message that anti-social behaviour, whatever form it takes, will not be tolerated in our local communities.' Labour is also looking to increase the fines for the cost of seizing, towing and crushing vehicles. A previous consultation recommended that it should be increased by the rate of inflation since the fees were last raised in 2008. This would cover the cost of recovering vehicles. The problem of nuisance driving has become so bad that some forces have launched dedicated operations to combat it. Operation Vulcan in Oldham has been targeting e-bikes, four of which were seized after their drivers were arrested for drug supply. Jo Shiner, the National Police Chiefs' Council's lead for roads policing, said: 'Anti-social use of a vehicle, such as street racing, street cruising or off-road use is more than a matter of noise pollution. 'It can have long-term effects on a neighbourhood, with the criminal damage of roads, other vehicles and surrounding property.' Edmund King, the AA president, said: 'Illegal car meets and street racing are not just anti-social, but also present road safety problems which have resulted in needless injuries and fatalities. 'This is a positive step that should make people think again before joining illegal car cruises.'
The Sun
27-05-2025
- General
- The Sun
Yobs wreaking havoc with e-scooters, bikes and cars will see them CRUSHED within 48 hours under crackdown
YOBS who terrorise towns with off-road bikes, e-scooters and cars will have them crushed within 48 hours under new police powers. Ministers plan to reduce the time cops can destroy thugs' vehicles from two weeks to two days so they have less chance to retrieve them. 1 Officers have complained that the current 14-day window creates a 'revolving door' where louts have time to reclaim their bikes and cars to keep wreaking havoc. The Home Office has launched a consultation on their proposals to tackle the scourge of anti-social behaviour blighting communities. Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said: 'Anti-social and reckless driving brings misery to communities across the country, from dangerous street racing to off-road bikes tearing through local parks. "By enabling police to seize and dispose of these vehicles within just 48 hours, we're giving our officers the tools they need to deliver immediate results and providing communities the swift justice they deserve.' Labour are also looking to hike the fines for the cost of seizing, towing and crushing vehicles. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has already announced powers for police to seize bikes, e-scooters and cars without warning. The problem of nuisance driving has become so bad that some forces have launched dedicated operations to combat it. Operation Vulcan in Oldham has been targeting e-bikes, four of which were seized after their drivers were arrested for drug supply. National Police Chiefs' Council Lead for Roads Policing, Chief Constable Jo Shiner, said: 'Anti-social use of a vehicle, such as street racing, street cruising or off-road use is more than a matter of noise pollution. 'It can have long-term effects on a neighbourhood, with the criminal damage of roads, other vehicles and surrounding property.'
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
'Mystery' of Hull Blitz report classified for 100 years
A decision to embargo a report on the bombing of Hull until 2042 is "unjustifiable", an MP has Diana Johnson wrote to the National Archives (NA) earlier this month to ask why the study – into the impact of German attacks on the city during World War Two – had never been NA has now confirmed that the report is under wraps for 100 years and said it was looking into the questions raised by the David Atkinson, an expert on the Hull Blitz, said the report was likely to have contained sensitive information when written, but why the embargo had not been lifted after more than 80 years was a mystery. In total, about 1,200 people were killed during German bombing raids on Hull, with 3,000 injured and more than 150,000 made Diana said: "The rate of death and destruction in Hull from Nazi bombs in the Blitz was comparable with that in London, but Hull's suffering was never recognised nationally in those wartime years when we were just referred to as a 'north east coastal town'."Hull seems to have been the only town or city treated in this way. An explanation as to why this happened is long overdue, after already being withheld for over 80 years."It's unjustifiable for information about these events to be kept locked away for 17 more years." Dame Diana has promised to pursue the matter along with colleagues from the University of Atkinson, from the university, has researched how the wartime government established secretive surveys in the city to assess how people "got by beneath the bombs".He said the embargoed report could reveal how effective the developing technology of aerial warfare was – and how much aerial bombing it would take to defeat a sensitive information was kept secret during the war."I think the government at the time was worried about how disclosing the report might reveal to the Germans that the citizens of Hull were resilient to aerial bombings," Prof Atkinson said.A spokesperson for the National Archives said it had asked Dame Diana's office for clarification on some aspects of her they said records specialists were looking into the issues raised. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
