Moped muggers strike again! Woman fighting for life after being punched by thugs on wheels
In the latest in a slew of violent attacks that have ravaged the city of London recently, muggers on a moped punched a woman on a street to grab her phone and bag.
The woman is now left fighting for her life in a hospital after the struggle.
According to repots, two thugs on a moped approached the 24-year-old woman as she was walking along a tree-lined residential street in north London lon Monday just after 9 pm.
As the duo tried to grab her bag and phone, the passenger sitting in the backseat punched the woman during the struggle, immediately knocking her down, reported Daily Mail. The woman in question sustained a serious head injury after the bikers sped away, leaving her lying in the street in Holyrood Gardens, Edgware. She was taken to a central London hospital where she remains in critical condition.
More than 16,000 scooter-related crimes were recorded in the year from June 2016, with the aforementioned attack being the latest in the flurry of raids and robberies conducted by moped gangs, Sky News reported. Crime stats shockingly revealed that more than 50 moped robberies are happening every day in the capital city in amid a backdrop of a surge in street crimes across the country.
The extent of the problem was highlighted by the fact that another gang of moped robbers struck a luxury watch store the very next day. The Watches of Switzerland luxury jewelers suffered the third heist at their West End store in the past few months when a moped gang armed with hammers and zombie knives stormed the establishment in London's Regent Street.
Authorities were called to the store just before 10.20 am on Tuesday, but only apprehended one suspect after the rest of the gang fled on their bikes. CCTV footage from near the luxury watch store revealed that the thieves rammed a scooter into the door of the luxury store. After the raid, two bikes and a large knife could be seen abandoned in the street.
Less than 24 hours earlier, famed comedian Michael McIntyre was robbed of a Rolex watch worth upwards of $20,000 by moped thugs after he picked up his son from school.
The robbers smashed the windows of his Range Rover before stealing the watch from his wrist. Fortunately, no-one was injured in the attack.
Monday night's attack on the woman is being currently investigated by officers, as the victim remains in the hospital in critical condition.
Talking about the incident in Edgware, Detective Sergeant Richard Lewsley said: "This was a horrific attack, the victim had her bag on her shoulder when the males approached her.
"She resisted for some time until the pillion passenger punched her, causing her to fall backwards.
"She is currently in a critical condition and we need to catch these males before they strike again."
Scotland Yard said in a statement: "Detectives from Brent are appealing for information after a woman was left in a critical condition after being robbed of her mobile phone in Edgware.
"Police were called at approximately 9.10pm on Monday to reports of a woman injured following a moped enabled robbery in Holyrood Gardens, Edgware. The woman, aged 24 was approached by two males on a moped.
"After struggling with the victim the pillion passenger punched her and stole her mobile phone and bag. The males made off on the moped in the direction of Stag Lane.
"During the incident, she suffered a head injury and was taken to a central London hospital where she remains in a critical condition. No arrests have been made and inquiries are ongoing."
New tactics to tackle moped crime in London were introduced by the Metropolitan Police last year. DNA tagging sprays and metal spikes which would puncture suspects' tires were some of the measures put in place by authorities.
Officers claim that the measures have been effective in reducing the number of similar offenses. Moped-related crimes had peaked in July 2017 with numbers reaching 2,592 and dropped to 1,238 attacks in March this year, a 52% drop, reported Sky News.
That being said, the number of recorded scooter-related attacks have more than tripled between 2015 and 2017.
Quite a few other jewelry stores have been targeted by these gangs, with Boodles of Chelsea and Mappin & Webb, which is also in Regent Street, both being targeted last year.
The primary reason contributing to a rise in violent crimes across the city is the state budget cuts towards law enforcement, claim experts, such as former Metropolitan Police chief inspector Peter Kirkham.
Speaking with iNews, Kirkham said: “Cuts to police officers mean fewer officers on the street and fewer officers investigating crimes.
“There is no time for officers to carry out stop and search, and the bad guys have noticed.
“They know they can get away with more and more… It’s not rocket science.”
Sergeant Tim Rogers, the Police Federation’s lead on pursuits, said, “There are many officers up and down the country who have reservations about doing the job they are expected to do.”
“It’s great the Government is committed to change, but ministers needs to act now to change the law to legally protect officers pursuing suspects on mopeds.”