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A data scientist who was robbed in the street has started a Twitter account to track the movements of moped gangs.
Dr Hira Virdee plans to use data science and analytics to follow suspected moped criminals and then alert police to their whereabouts.
The 28-year-old launched @MopedSpotted after he was mugged for his mobile phone while walking in Lincoln’s Inn Fields last month. He jumped in a taxi and gave chase to the four youths on three mopeds — who then snatched a phone from another victim nearby.
Dr Virdee reported the thefts to the police but two days later he received an email from the Met saying that they were taking no further action because there were no leads.
He said: “I understand the police are overwhelmed but I doubt whether they followed up all the CCTV leads they could have.
“I decided if no one else was going to collect evidence then there was an opportunity for someone else to collect information on moped crimes and suspects.” The Twitter account asks people to report sightings of possible moped suspects so they can be tracked in real time. The information can then be passed to police.
Dr Virdee, who has a PhD in physics and engineering and works for a data company, says he has already tracked one suspect group in Finsbury Park. He said: “It means we can quickly identify hotspots of crime and build up a picture of where these criminals are operating. I get a lot of cab drivers reporting sightings of mopeds.”
Police plan to test a tagging spray that could link moped bandits to crime scenes. They are working out how to deploy the liquid, which leaves a chemical footprint on clothing or bikes visible under UV light.
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