Met Police officer under criminal investigation after teenage moped rider left with serious head injuries in 'tactical contact' incident

17-year-old was not wearing a helmet during the police chase

A police officer is under criminal investigation after ramming into a moped rider who was left with serious head injuries and broken bones.

It is one of two incidents being investigated involving Scotland Yard’s “tactical contact” strategy, which has been publicly supported by Theresa May and Sajid Javid.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said the 17-year-old suspect had been chased through Kent and followed by a police officer before crossing into London on 7 November last year.

The Metropolitan Police car “deliberately made contact” with the moped to end the pursuit in Erith, southeast London, and the IOPC is considering whether the decision was “appropriate”.

A spokesperson said the suspect was riding the moped dangerously and added: “The tactic was authorised to end a police operation monitoring the activity of the teenager.

“The teenager, who was not wearing a helmet, was admitted to hospital with serious head injuries and fractures but has since been discharged.”

The boy later pleaded guilty to five offences at a youth court, including theft, dangerous driving, and driving without a licence.

The unnamed officer driving the car is under criminal investigation and has been interviewed under caution.

He could be charged with an offence such as actual bodily harm, but no referral has yet been made to the Crown Prosecution Service.

The officer also faces a separate disciplinary investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

In another incident on 27 March, a man in his twenties suffered a broken leg after police engaged in “tactical contact” in Ealing, west London.

The Independent understands the officers involved are currently being treated as witnesses in the ongoing IOPC investigation.

A spokesperson for the watchdog said: “Ultimately no police tactic can ever be used with impunity in a country where we police by consent – be that tactical contact, the use of firearms or the use of restraint.

“It is always a matter of whether it’s reasonable and proportionate in the circumstances.”

Police leaders and politicians have called for enhanced legal protections for officers pursuing suspects who may be injured, but the IOPC said “it would be wrong to offer guarantees in every case”.

“Independent scrutiny is a vital part of public confidence in the way policing is done,” a spokesperson added.

Asked for her view of the tactic during her visit to Argentina for the G20 summit, the prime minister said: “I think it is absolutely right.

Theresa May has backed police over controversial new tactics for stopping moped-riding criminals (PA)

“These people on these mopeds are acting unlawfully and committing crimes and I think it’s absolutely right that we see a robust police response to that.”

She added: “Moped crime has been an issue of concern for some time now, as it has been growing in certain areas, in particular in London.”

Labour has raised concerns about the approach, which shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said earlier this week was “potentially very dangerous”.

“It shouldn’t be legal for anyone,” the shadow home secretary said. “Police are not above the law.”

But Mr Javid, who revealed in June that his phone was taken in a moped-mugging before he became home secretary, challenged Ms Abbott’s assessment.

“Risk-assessed tactical contact is exactly what we need,” he wrote on Twitter. “Criminals are not above the law.”

The Metropolitan Police said its footage showed tactics that specially-trained drivers are able to use to reduce the need for pursuits and prevent injury occurring to offenders and members of the public.

Force chiefs said there is no maximum speed for police cars to hit mopeds and it is a common misconception among moped thieves that officers will end their pursuit if the suspect drives dangerously or removes their helmet.

On Friday, Commissioner Cressida Dick said officers have had to “put the fear back into criminals” and defended the use of tactical contact.

“Our guys couldn’t be better trained to do it, they’ve been risk assessing it,” she added.

“These are people who have been repeatedly left in no doubt whatsoever that there’s a police car right behind them. If you look over your shoulder and drive on as fast as possible putting the public in danger, you should expect we will come after you.”

Ms Dick claimed there had so far been a “very small number of injuries,” adding: “My officers make life and death decisions every day of the week.”

Scotland Yard said the strategy was in widespread use in London after a rise in robberies, phone snatches and acid attacks using scooters.

Officers have feared being jailed or sacked if moped riders were injured during high-speed chases in the past, while criminals have taken their helmets off in the belief it will prevent a pursuit.

But the government is backing new legal protections for officers, and the Metropolitan Police said it targets moped criminals “even when they ride dangerously, discard their helmets and disguise themselves in the belief that this will prevent pursuit and their capture”.

Victims have called on authorities to prevent criminals using mopeds with “impunity”, but identifying suspects has been made difficult by the wearing of helmets, masks and gloves.

To help identify suspects, the Metropolitan Police is using “DNA spray”, which is fired at riders they are pursuing to mark them with invisible dye and can place individuals or bikes at the scene of a crime. They also have equipment to puncture tyres.

Moped-enabled crime has plummeted by 36 per cent in the capital year-on-year since the methods were rolled out.

From January to October last year, there were 19,455 moped-enabled offences across London, and this figure was reduced to 12,419 offences in the same period this year.