The Met Police has increased the size of its e-bike fleet from five to 25, which will be used to target gangs who use e-bikes and mopeds to commit crime across London.

The lightweight bikes enable officers to cut through traffic, navigate narrow streets and even tackle staircases, allowing them to reach and catch criminals in places inaccessible to conventional police motorcycles and cars.

They are a game changer in the fight against phone theft, enabling officers to pursue offenders quickly and intervene moments after a snatch offence. This has helped reduce phone theft by more than 13,000 offences across London in the last year, the Met says.

Louise Puddefoot, Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Frontline Policing, said: “Expanding our Sur-Ron fleet gives officers another powerful tool to stay one step ahead of criminals. These bikes allow officers to move quickly through busy streets, access areas traditional vehicles cannot reach, respond faster to crime and arrest more suspects.

“Criminals are using high-powered, often illegally modified e-bikes to commit offences such as phone theft and robbery. By expanding this capability, we have listened to our officers, giving them the tools they need to disrupt criminality and keep Londoners safe.

“Londoners are already seeing the results of our relentless focus on tackling street crime, with neighbourhood crime down 14 per cent over the past year and 13,000 fewer phone thefts.”

Funding for the bikes came from profits taken from crime and reinvested back into policing with Home Office support for rider training in the West End.