New tactics from the Metropolitan Police Service to tag offenders committing moped-enabled crime in London have played a major role in its significant reduction.
Over 6,000 Tagging Sprays have been handed to Met officers on the streets. In terms of actual use, there have been 113 active deployments, with a significant 46% positive outcome rate. There have been 44 arrests so far linked to the SelectaDNA Spray and several convictions.
In separate figures, two of London’s most targeted areas have seen even greater reductions in crime. The Met reported that moped crime in the London Boroughs of Camden and Islington has fallen by more than 60% in 2019 compared with the same period in 2018.
The introduction of the new SelectaDNA Tagging Spray appears to have been a major factor in this decline, with offenders now realising that the police finally have a method of proving without doubt they were at the scene of the crimes they commit.
The spray can be aimed by officers at moped offenders, marking the bikes, clothing and skin of any riders and passengers with a uniquely-coded but invisible synthetic DNA that will provide forensic evidence to link them to a specific crime.
Latest year-on-year figures for moped crime show that in May 2018 to April 2019 there were 10,909 offences across London compared to May 2017 to April 2018 when there were 23,158 offences (12,249 fewer offences) - a reduction of 52.9%.
For further information and images contact: Jessica Farrugia, Senior Marketing Manager for Selectamark.
Phone: +44(0)1689 487829
Email:
[email protected]
Twitter: @selectadna
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