Mugged, Javid to give cops more teeth

London: UK home secretary Sajid Javid is to give police much greater powers to pursue violent gangsters who use mopeds to target members of the public - not least because he was himself the victim of a "mugging" when his mobile phone was snatched outside Euston station in London.

Like any father, the incident has left him worrying even more about the safety of his four children.

The modus operandi of the moped gangs, in which helmet wearing criminals usual hunt in packs, is to swoop on an innocent bystander and then make a speedy getaway with the stolen mobile phone or an expensive watch (Rolex are much sought after) or jewellery.

Indian women coming to London for their summer holidays are thought to be especially vulnerable if they display gold necklaces or bracelets.

Combined with knife crime, the capital is currently witnessing a surge in moped "muggings" - the slang for street assaults.

Quite often theft is combined with extreme violence. At least 46 people have been stabbed to death in London this year. Even in quiet residential areas outside London, knife crime is up 270 per cent.

Scooter gangs committed 23,000 recorded crimes last year - an average of 64 a day and up 163 per cent on the year before.

What happened to Javid, two months before he was promoted to home secretary when he was still communities secretary, has become all too common a menace in London.

"It happened in a flash," Javid, 48, revealed in an interview with a Sunday newspaper. "I was walking out of Euston station and reached for my phone to call a taxi.

"It was brand new. Before I knew what was happening, it had gone. They just rode up, grabbed it and zoomed off.

"I was angry and upset but thought myself lucky not to have been stabbed or beaten up like many other victims who fall prey to these vicious criminals."

The incident has increased concerns about the safety of his children: "I worry about them, especially if it's late.

"My eldest child, my daughter, is home from university and a couple of weeks ago went out to celebrate her 19th birthday. She told me she was going to stay out late with friends in London.

"It was a day when I'd heard about a lot more knife crime. I worried that night that she was out there.

"We want our children to be safe. It will drive me even more to ensure no parent worries about kids out at night."

Javid is working on a review to give police more power to pursue moped thugs without fear. Senior officers say they are hampered by health and safety rules that stop them giving chase if crooks remove crash helmets.

"It's ridiculous," declared Javid. "Police should be allowed to get on with the job.

"If someone commits a crime and police want to pursue them, they should have much more freedom to."

The Tories like their leader to be tough on crime and - unlike Labour - bother a little less about the causes of crime.

Javid, now tipped by some as a possible successor to Theresa May, said: "Our streets should be safe at all times, you shouldn't have to worry about things like knife or other crime."