A man has been arrested following a Mottingham e-bike robbery in which a school pupil was targeted while leaving school in south-east London.
Officers carrying out reassurance patrols in the area heard the incident broadcast over the police radio on Thursday afternoon, the Metropolitan Police said.
The patrols put officers close to the scene within minutes. After reviewing CCTV footage, they identified a man matching the description of the suspect riding an e-bike along Court Farm Road.
When officers moved in to speak to him, he refused to stop and rode away. A short time later he was detained on Beaconsfield Road.
He was arrested on suspicion of robbery, alleged drug offences, possession of an offensive weapon and failing to stop for police.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “Yesterday, local officers conducting reassurance patrols in the Mottingham area heard a report over the police radio regarding an e-bike robbery involving a school pupil after leaving school.”
“Following a review of CCTV footage, officers identified a male matching the suspect’s description riding an e-bike along Court Farm Road,” the spokesperson added. “When approached by police, the male failed to stop and made off. A short time later, on Beaconsfield Road, officers detained the suspect, who was subsequently arrested on suspicion of robbery.”
The force said the arrest demonstrated “the value of proactive patrols and swift police action in keeping our community safe”.
The arrest followed a rapid sequence of events, with officers moving from the initial radio report to a detention in a matter of minutes. Police credited the outcome to officers already being on the ground in the area rather than responding from elsewhere.
The swift detention comes as officers step up visible patrols across the capital in response to rising street crime, with assaults on the London Underground up by a fifth in the latest figures.
E-bikes have become an increasingly common feature of robbery reports across the capital, with their speed allowing suspects to make rapid getaways through traffic and side streets.
Neighbourhood policing teams have increasingly been deployed on visible patrols in areas where street crime has been reported, with senior officers describing the tactic as key to deterring offenders and reassuring residents.
In a separate recent case in south-east London, two Beckenham brothers were jailed over a honeytrap kidnap plot outside a Lewisham restaurant.
The force has not released further details about the pupil, who has not been identified. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Metropolitan Police.
