Legal News

Scotland Yard is to introduce “super Asbos” for convicted smash-and-grab thieves, to curb the number of raids on shops in London.

The London Evening Standard newspaper reports that the super-Asbos are a measure to prevent moped riders who carry out smash-and-grab robberies from re-offending after they have served their jail sentences.

London shopping centres like Brent Cross and Knightsbridge are increasingly the target of smash-and-grab thieves – and the curbs are specifically designed to prevent thieves who use mopeds and motorcycles to commit crime.

The measures will be introduced as serious crime prevention orders, which are often used for crimes involving drugs offences and financial crime, such as money laundering – rather than thieves who target shops on the high street and in shopping malls.

The special measures might include requiring a convicted thief who owns a moped or motorcycle to possess one motorcycle helmet only, which will be photographed and added to a police database.

Criminals could also be banned from walking down a street carrying a motorcycle helmet, to prevent them from stealing motorcycles to commit crimes on.

Orders lasting as long as five years might prevent a convicted thief from riding pillion on a motorbike – although a ban on owning a motorcycle or moped is unlikely, as the vehicle might be needed for work by an individual, said Detective Inspector Karl Amos, who is head of the Metropolitan Police’s specialist lifetime offender management unit.

The unit is currently in charge of drawing up the super-Asbos.

Det Insp Amos said the orders were intended to prevent serious crime, rather than impose a further punishment on top of any prison sentence already handed down by the court.

“It would be unfair to ban people from legitimately riding motorbikes or mopeds, as they may need one to get to work,” he said.

“The measures are designed to be proportionate – and our aim is to restrict the ability of these people to commit further crime.

“The helmet order will restrict them from having something that hides their identity.”

The Flying Squad and prosecution lawyers are also working together to tackle the problem of “scooter gangs”, which target jewellery stores and other shops in London’s West End.

An order imposed on a convicted smash-and-grab thief would have to be approved by a judge, however.

A breach of a super-Asbo could result in a further five years in prison.

Det Insp Amos added:

“These are individuals who are not subject to a live police inquiry – but they are potentially doing something wrong.

“We want to make sure they think twice about it.

“It’s about getting them to look over their shoulder all the time.”

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