Camden police have launched a special operation to tackle moped theft in the borough, following a spree of violent moped robberies.
Officers in Camden are teaming up with forces in Islington and Westminster for the launch of Operation Venice, a tri-borough initiative aimed at stamping down on moped thefts.
Police believe many of the moped robberies committed across the three boroughs in recent months have been carried out on stolen vehicles.
Since the beginning of April, Camden has had 178 motorcycles and mopeds reported stolen, the value of which is estimated to be £660,000.
Islington has had 159 motorcycles and mopeds reported stolen - thought to be worth an estimated £380,000 - and Westminster has had 191 motorcycles and mopeds reported stolen, worth £1million.
It is believed that criminals are cutting bike chains, forcing and breaking steering locks and wheeling vehicles off.
In some cases, it is believed thieves are lifting them on to or in to a vehicle.
In partnership with Camden Council, police have developed strategies to reduce these offences including the installation of ground anchors and the provision of appropriate locks to residents and visitors to help lock mopeds securely.
Acting Det Spt Raffaele D’Orsi, of Camden police, said: “Whilst Camden police officers, the local authority and the wider parternship continue to make Camden a safer place with crime showing a year on year decrease, moped related crimes - where a moped is either stolen or used to commit the crime - continues to challenge us in a number of ways.
“We will continue to work together across police and local authority borders to take every opportunity to divert, disrupt, detect and prosecute those involved in such criminality.”
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