With last nights spree and recent attacks, I don’t mind admitting that acid attacks really scare me.

Don’t ride a moped in London and you should be OK.

Don’t ride a moped be in London and you should be OK.

Don’t ride a moped be in London and you should be OK.

Shocking that people are ready to use extreme violence for such small reward.

High streets, shops, school, coppers etc need to be given diphoterine to go with the defibs. If this worries you lot Id suggest carring a small can of it.

It’s like the vehicle attacks though. Easy to obtain, extremely difficult to guard against, devastatingly effective, and publicised enough each time it happens to alert more nutters to the possibility.

And the offence carries less punishment.

It’s heinous for any reason but to use it in a robbery just to steal some crap is vile. They should be locked up until each victim fully recovers and no I don’t give a shit about their human rights, I’d vote for them being given a acid bath if they don’t fancy jail.

bikebouy – Member
And the offence carries less punishment.

than what?

Knife/Gun crime.

Big piece on R4 about it last week.

Agree. Intelligence that you are carrying it should be considered enough to get you repeatedly shot by the plod.

Yeah, electricians are already fair game so why not plumbers as well?

You mean like how farmers manage to carry guns without getting shot?

You mean like how farmers manage to carry guns without getting shot?

If farmer Giles walked down a busy London street with his gun he’d been getting shot . Strolling round his field shooting vermin I very much dout it .

Shocked to find out there were nearly 500 cases of acid attacks last year!

High streets, shops, school, coppers etc need to be given diphoterine to go with the defibs. If this worries you lot Id suggest carring a small can of it.

Dont hold your breath. It’s not even carried on front line ambulances.

Solo – Member 
Don’t ride a moped be in London and you should be OK.

Sadly, even back in my home town down in Devon a local shop keeper got sprayed with a chemical just to rob the shop. Think he lost sight in an eye as a result.

There’s a change in attitude to attack first and take. Rob someone in the street and rather than threaten with a knife and hope they give the money, they’ll just stab the person without asking and take the money. Chemicals are even easier to get, and not illegal to carry about either.

If farmer Giles walked down a busy London street with his gun he’d been getting shot . Strolling round his field shooting vermin I very much dout it .

Intelligence on carrying acid would hopefully include some context like whether or not the person is a known criminal or a plumber.

Plumbers dont tend to ride around in mopeds or blinged out Range Rovers.

Carrying acid for that purpose should be a fireatms offence like carrying a tazer is… and shoukd thus warrant the same response.

In my mind, acid is FAR worse than a taser; given the unpleasant choice, is ride the lightning any day over having my face melted off 😯

Sulphuric Acid is one of the named substances in the Explosives Precursors Regulations however it is only a reportable substance and relies on the vendor reporting any suspicious purchases to the police. It should be moved up the scale to a regulated substance that requires a EPP licence for purchase.

Tailwagger – I’d be surprised at that number too, whilst not all attacks will result in hospital treatment (and not all hospital treatment will be properly recorded) I would have expected a closer correlation:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/sep/30/acid-attack-hospital-admissions-have-almost-doubled-in-last-10-years

Especially since that is based on admissions, and most serious cases will result in multiple admissions for follow up treatment etc.

What’s your source?

Off the back of the R4 Programme last week, there are moves to criminalise carrying acid with intent to cause harm.. IIRC.
Before the show, I didn’t even know this was a “thing” and I work in London.

The motorbike and moped thefts in London has become an embarrassment. The police have done very little to crack down on it and the owners of these bikes and mopeds are having to fight back to keep hold of their property. The thieves have stepped it up too from threatening owners with screwdrivers, hammers and bolt cutters to acid.
Some will say that it’s only an object that can be replaced but the cost of insurance in London alone is stupidly high, add a claim to that and many simply can’t afford the insurance even if they could replace the bike. When they need the bike for their commuting or for the job it becomes a lot more valuable to the owner.
Bike theft in the UK is a worldwide joke as reported on many international bike forums and lots of advice never to take a bike into London from overseas visitors. If the police cracked down on these thieves who are probably a relatively small group and then the courts punish them to the maximum it would have a bigger effect than trying to restrict the supply of acids which can be easily circumnavigated

What’s your source?

The Met’s own figures show there were 261 acid attacks in 2015, rising to 458 last year.

Taken from the BBC website report on last nights incident.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-40604002

Wonder if they’ll target bicycles next – some are worth the same as mopeds and scooters

Some will say that it’s only an object that can be replaced

irrelevant when people aren’t even being given the opportunity to surrender them peaceably! As you say these thefts need cracking down on.

Also carrying a corrosive substance like this needs to legally be treated the same as a knife or even firearm ASAP IMO (with the same obvious exceptions as e.g. a chef being allowed to carry his knives) as otherwise these attacks are just going to get more and more frequent

This new style of attack and theft to me is a door opener to many more people who were too scared to confront someone with an object before and now can use this more cowardly approach.

Things to restrict access to acid and stronger sentences are defiantly needed. Makes me listen to arguments for life means life sentencing and the return of the death sentence more hearing about the violent crimes being committed recently.

Is it true the police aren’t allowed to pursue people on mopeds if they aren’t wearing a helmet? If so surely there’s a point where the criminal accepts personal liability for any injuries they receive whilst trying to escape from plod.

Now if someone would invent a smartphone app controlled remote-deployable seat spike for mopeds…

Police aren’t allowed to pursue motorbikes or mopeds at all.

Police aren’t allowed to pursue motorbikes or mopeds at all.

The criminals know this and use it to their advantage. Rules need to be changed and criminals injured during pursuit is down to them alone for resisting arrest.

Police aren’t allowed to pursue motorbikes or mopeds at all.

That simply isn’t true. Some police forces are even allowed to ‘sting’ motorbikes.

Its disappointint that someone is doing this – you have to feel for the victims. Mayby punishment should be the same and to have a chemical sprayed in their faces?

Things to restrict access to acid and stronger sentences are defiantly needed.

They were talking on the radio this morning about restricting the sale of acids.

Coming soon: alkaline attacks.

followed by lighter fluid and matches, the list is extensive. The punishment needs to be a serious deterrent.

Quite. Can of hairspray and a lighter. Toilet bleach. There are many many substances I wouldn’t want directed at my face, controlling the sale isn’t the answer. Stiffer penalties for carrying with intent, however…

I’d rather be shot. Criminals would rather shoot people. There’s a solution in there somewhere.

Acid attack is a life sentence for the victims. If the victims are blinded then their entire family suffer with no income (assuming main earner), not to mention the lifetime mental torture.

The current law does not work for certain segment of the society using acid as weapon. The law simply does not deter the attacks.

For me the severity of the injury should reflected in the punishment.

If the victims are blinded then attacker(s) should incur life sentence. If possible part of the cost (imprisonment) to be funded by the perpetrators’ direct family regardless.

We have one of these gangs near us, I’m in Islington, I see the same kids over and over, completely obvious and blatant illegal riding. I call up if I know they are at their usual hangouts, and call 999 if I see them getting prepared for the muggings. They even come back to the same places after going on the rob, the police just can not get here in time or arrive with enough people to box them in. And so the game continues…..

I remember watching a documentary around a Jamaican ermergency room quite a few years ago now
Where acid attacks were commonplace partly because acid was cheap and readily available and you could do maximum damage with out Risk of ending up on a murder charge.

It is quite worrying if it becomes commonplace here.

Not the best time to have been cutting police numbers.