The graveyard of twisted metal outside a New York police compound is a sight that would make any British mayor salivate. Over 2,000 seized dirt bikes and quad bikes, crushed into cubes for scrap. Sources confirm that UK mayors are now scheduling calls with their NYPD counterparts to discuss replicating the strategy in British cities.
London alone saw 115 deaths from moped-enabled crimes last year. The NYPD's tactic is simple: seize, crush, no appeal. No endless legal wrangling, no compensation claims.
Just a hydraulic press and a cloud of dust. 'We've got the same problem,' a senior City Hall source told me. 'Kids on stolen bikes terrorising estates.
The current system is a revolving door. They get a warning, the bike gets returned. This would send a message.
' But the plan is already drawing fire from civil liberties groups. 'It's destruction of property without due process,' a spokesperson from Liberty warned. The mayor's office remained tight-lipped, but internal emails I've seen show they're serious.
They're even looking at the cost: £500,000 for a crusher, and the same again for storage and legal fees. But against the estimated £10 million annual cost of bike crime in London alone, it's pocket change. The question is whether the government will back it.
The Home Office refused to comment, but a senior source told me they're 'watching closely'. If it works in New York, it could be coming to a street near you.
