Centrepieces.

Construction work of the Erith Baths development, adjacent to the Erith Riverside Gardens, seen in the drone photograph above, nears the end. Practical completion on the residential development is scheduled for the 31st December; in reality it will probably be a couple of weeks later, due to the Christmas and New Year holidays. The properties are intended to be for shared ownership - part buy, part rent; this is intended to keep them affordable for people on average incomes. However, in doing some research for this article I have found that a median price two bedroomed apartment in the main block would have an overall cost of £310,000. The minimum purchase share of such an apartment will be 35 percent of the overall cost - £108,500. To be eligible for this, a single purchaser will need to have an income in excess of £48,000 a year, or a couple will need a joint income of £43,000. On top of this, the 65 percent rental share of the agreement will add a further £462 per month to the bill. As well as this, a monthly service charge of £225 - £241 will be added, along with a £30 a month rental fee for a parking space - or a one - off outright purchase payment of £10,000. If this was not enough, the apartments come with a 250 year leasehold, which has a ground rent of £100 per year. This to me does not in any way sound affordable. If you would like to refer to the price list and buyer requirements, then please click here to see the complete cost breakdown of all of the apartments; unfortunately information regarding the town houses behind the apartments does not appear to be available at the time of writing. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The photos above were taken on Friday afternoon in the former Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road. A charity art exhibition, followed by an auction of the exhibits is currently taking place. Art is to be sold at auction on Saturday the 1st December, produced by members of the Centrepieces mental health arts project. Hosted by The Exchange. The exhibition is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 3pm, prior to the auction of the exhibits next Saturday, The Exchange say of the exhibition:- "Join us for the 18th Annual Exhibition and Auction of artwork created by artists from Centrepieces Mental Health Arts Project. The event raises money to help keep the organisation running, with 50% of sales going to the artists who are members of Centrepieces, all of whom have experienced mental health problems. This year’s Auction will take place at The Exchange on Saturday 01 December, with previewing times to be advertised leading up to the auction. Advanced bids can be made if people are unable to make the auction date. Centrepieces was founded in 1999 by a group of artists with mental health issues, living in Bexley and the surrounding areas. Originally established with a £5,000 Millennium Award from the National Lottery, Centrepieces was for many years supported by the Crayford Centre, which was part of the local mental health services. It moved in June 2014 to new premises in the Lodge at Hall Place in Bexley, financially supported by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust. Today, Centrepieces consists of 120 artists, many of whom volunteer to help run the project. Centrepieces exists to promote mental health recovery through the arts, creating opportunities for people to take part in art activities, and to exhibit and sell their work; it also tries to promote a better understanding of mental health in the wider public". This is the first public event to be held in the former library, which is currently undergoing conversion into a community centre / arts hub and bar / cafe operated by The Exchange. In December there will be a series of "Pop - Up Cinema" events - more on this next week.

As regular readers may be aware, I keep a close eye on the activities of Havering Borough Council, the London borough on the opposite side of the River Thames to the London Borough of Bexley. Havering is a borough with a very similar geographic layout, an almost identical population demographic, and very similar challenges to Bexley, but it seems to me that Havering seem to do far better in terms of management of resources than Bexley do; it has just been announced that proposals for what is likely to be one of the biggest road and pavement improvement programmes of any London borough have been published this week -  in direct response to what residents say is a major issue. In the 2019/20 budget proposals Havering Council is setting out plans to spend £30 million over the next three years on resurfacing roads and pavements and fixing potholes. This will be a significant increase on the current (2018/19) budget of £3.2 million. The proposed investment in improving Havering’s roads and pavements will see approximately 7.5 miles of roads being resurfaced, that's equivalent to the distance between Romford and the Olympic Park at Stratford, as the crow flies. In addition around 1,000 potholes will be repaired each year. Around 8.8 miles of pavements will also be resurfaced, that’s more than double the distance of the Grand National. The £30m proposed investment comes on top of a multi-million pound investment in sport and leisure facilities in 2018/19 which has already seen the Sapphire Ice and Leisure Centre open in Romford, with a new leisure centre and swimming pool due to open in Hornchurch in 2020. As part of the budget, Havering plans to maintain a weekly refuse collection for residents even when some councils have moved to a monthly collection. Around £250,000 has also been earmarked to improve CCTV to improve community safety. Councillor Damian White, the Leader of the Havering Council said in a recent interview:- "People told us that the quality of care and support for vulnerable people is incredibly important to them – we are protecting spend in that area. People told us that they are worried about the quality of roads and pavements – we are investing significantly to improve them. People told us that, even though we have less crime than most London boroughs, they are worried about safety after dark which is why we are planning to increase investment in better CCTV. People told us that the quality of refuse collection is important – we are one of a minority of councils to retain a weekly collection when others have moved to a fortnightly or even a monthly collection. This is a council that listens to our residents and acts in their best interests.” A somewhat different and refreshing approach when compared to Bexley Council.

Last July I wrote a fairly extensive article on the rather sensationalist leaflet which had been posted through the doors of residents of certain roads in Erith and Slade Green. The leaflet was a reaction to the proposed Bexley regeneration consultation project, which made local headlines last year. You can read the original article by clicking here. Since then, the person(s) behind the leaflet and the website Slade Green Together have been silent - the last update on their website is dated the 21st July 2017. Thus far none of their lurid claims have come to pass, and it has become increasingly evident that the sensationalist leaflet campaign and the website were nothing more than some well - meaning scaremongering. I think that whilst we always need to be vigilant against the more strenuous activities of Bexley Council, in this case the reaction was somewhat disproportionate. The problem is, next time some proposal comes from the council that does not chime well with the local population, there is the danger of a "cry wolf" situation arising.

The critically panned Queen biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody" has, as I predicted, defied professional reviewers to take over $411 million on a production budget of $52 million - a remarkable performance. The film is still showing in cinemas, so the gross takings figure is set to increase. It will also do very well when released on Blu Ray and DVD, along with online streaming. The Blu Ray and DVD releases with include around 25 minutes of footage cut from the cinema release - including songs missed from the Live Aid performance which ends the movie. I predict that the physical copy sales of the extended film will be very high indeed. If you have not already seen the movie, I would strongly recommend it.

It was reported last week that The Financial Conduct Authority are finally taking action against companies such as Brighthouse and Perfect Home - "rent to buy" companies which charge customers small amounts each week, from just £3.50, but customers often end up paying back up to three times more than an item is worth. The FCA is also considering banning the sale of extended warranties by BrightHouse and Perfect Home, which could save consumers up to £7.7million per year. BrightHouse's Black Friday sale promotion promises customers its “best deals ever” - but its PS4 bundle with FIFA 19 and Assassins Creed costs more than three times more than buying exactly the same product from Curry's. The APR interest rate Brighthouse quote for the deal is 99.9 percent. I was reading an article recently, in which Karl Dayson, an academic who specialises in the study of affordable finance said that “I can think of no better marker of social deprivation than having a Brighthouse store open in your area”.  If you have not heard of the BrightHouse  stores before, let me explain. Brighthouse are a chain of retailers specialising in household goods such as furniture, washing machines, televisions and cookers. Their unique selling point is that you can purchase goods on credit with no deposit, and with very low weekly repayments. The store is designed to appeal to young families – the aisles between goods on display are wide enough for a child’s buggy to be wheeled easily along them. BrightHouse offer credit to those who would otherwise be unable to qualify for it – mainly people on benefits. This all sounds great – helping those otherwise unable to afford the basics of a home to get what they need. The downside of it is the eye wateringly high interest rates that BrightHouse charges. Several debt charities have expressed dismay at the high charges. A basic washing machine that costs £399 in Curry's will cost £1,560 from Brighthouse, albeit broken down into “affordable” £10 weekly payments at an interest rate of 69.9 percent APR. Just like the notorious pay day lenders, the poorer you are, the more you pay for goods and services. Debt advisor Anne Young, who has advised many former Brighthouse customers said “These companies are preying on people who cannot afford to go anywhere else. I do think that they are robbing the poor, when you look at their prices. They are charging a ridiculous amount for goods you can buy on the high street for a third of the price”.  To give an example, a small television which costs £99.99 in Argos would cost a total of £606.84 paid over a total of 156 weeks. BrightHouse argue that their TV is covered against malfunction and accidental damage over the course of the repayment period, but this needs to be set against the fact that you could buy six similar televisions for that amount of money elsewhere. BrightHouse claim that if you can find an identical product anywhere on the high street, that they will match the price. This is actually quite difficult, as BrightHouse have a lot of “own name” brands, such as Baird; these are simply not available anywhere else; they also include a number of options that other retailers on the high street don’t, and the pricing structure is so bewilderingly complex that direct comparison is rather difficult. They plan to open another four hundred stores to add to the 288 that they currently operate, which are usually located in areas with high levels of poverty. The demographic for BrightHouse customers is fairly straightforward; a majority are women between 26 and 45 years of age; they earn less than £13,000 a year, and around fifty percent are receiving at least part of their income in the form of benefits. You can really view BrightHouse as a cross between somewhere like Argos and loan company – and its’ customers are overwhelmingly people who do not qualify for a credit card or score too lowly for a conventional, lower interest loan. The kind of goods that the company sells (furniture / consumer electronics) do tend to depreciate over the course of the loan period, to the point that by the time the loan is fully paid off, the goods are essentially worthless. On top of this, BrightHouse have a policy of repossessing goods if payments are not met, even if the customer is only one or two payments away from completing the purchase. Normally a court order is required to repossess goods when more than a third of the credit payments have already been met. BrightHouse have a nasty habit of sending round bailiffs without such legal niceties – exploiting the fact that many of their customers are ignorant of the law. All in all, BrightHouse succeed because they can – their target customer does not qualify for a loan from a conventional source, and is not aware of low cost resources such as credit unions. They rely on the customer being sucked in to the colourful, brightly lit and shiny shop with the promise of low repayments, even if they do end up paying for what seems like half a lifetime. The appeal of the “here and now” rather than waiting and saving to buy from a store that offers no credit, but a consequently far lower purchase price is something that BrightHouse encourage – many of their customers have little academic education, and don’t necessarily realise that they may only be paying back a tenner or so a week for their flat screen television, but doing so for several years means it is costing them a pile more money than it should. In my opinion, BrightHouse operate a legal business; whether they operate a moral one is open to debate. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

One subject that is allied to the piece on BrightHouse is the whole vexed subject of people on a low income who have a very large flat screen television. Some academic studies have been carried out on the subject, and the results have been actually quite surprising. It has been noted for some years that wealthier, middle class people tend to have fewer televisions in their houses, and they tend to be older models with smaller screens.  The reason for this is thought to be that middle class people generally spend less time watching the television, as they are likely to attend theatre, cinema, sports and the arts, as well as eating out and socialising on a regular basis. The television is regarded as an incidental item. Researchers found that people with lower incomes tend to be more home – centric; their social lives are more likely to revolve around their living rooms and the television; they tend not to go out much, and when they do, it is more likely to be local to them – to a friend or neighbour living nearby. Thus they place a far higher value on items for the home like a large television or games console, which is their principle source of leisure and entertainment. This certainly seems to make sense – and would no doubt drive the Daily Mail into a frenzy should it come across the story.  I suppose that there are exceptions to this though;  the world has changed greatly in the last decade or so; fast broadband connections mean that all sorts of media content can be streamed to the home; you no longer need to go to the inconvenience of a cinema visit, when you can see the movie in full HD quality in the comfort of your own home. I personally have little time for the theatre, and all of the hassle that it entails. I do like a live gig every so often, but nowadays it has to be something really special to entice me out of Pewty Acres on a cold and wintery evening.

The striking photo above was sent to me by a reader who prefers to remain anonymous. It shows the view out over the River Thames from one of the apartments above the Erith Riverside Shopping Centre, complete with an accompanying rainbow. The photo was shot from above the Erith Riverside Fish and Steak Restaurant - a lovely venue with some great food. The problem, as I have stated before, is that the restaurant is very under - used. I was talking to a reader last week, and he and a small group of friends visited the restaurant on a recent Friday evening - apart from his group, the place was empty, at what many would consider to be potentially their busiest time. It would seem that the fish and chip takeaway side of the business is doing adequately, but the sit down restaurant business is struggling - I have walked past on multiple occasions to see the place empty at times when one would expect it to be bustling. It is a great shame, as my own experience eating in the Riverside Fish and Steak Restaurant was extremely good. I think part of the problem is that Erith residents don't go out to socialise in the town in the evening. If they want to go for a drink and something to eat, they go to Bluewater, Dartford or Bexleyheath - the evening socialisation culture just does not currently exist locally. It does not help that Erith town centre does not have a pub worthy of the name - The Running Horses in Erith High Street is a shadow of its former self that struggles on with a small handful of customers, as I have written about at some length in the past. If a new owner would come along and invest in the run - down establishment, I feel that it would do much to reinvigorate the place, but I don't see this happening any time soon.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly a report from Barnehurst ward:- "One crime of note to report this week which is a burglary. On Thursday 15th November in Westfield Road between 12.30am – 6.30am. Suspect(s) have entered a semi-detached property whilst the occupiers were sleeping. Tool marks were discovered on the front UPVC porch door and the suspects have used the wheelie bin belonging to the property to aid climbing into the back garden, the rear French doors were found to be open. Property taken was a bag containing an iPad and personal documents. It is believed that suspect(s) were looking for the keys to the car parked on the driveway. If you are able, try and store all wheelie bins in the back garden, consider using a padlock and chain to secure to a fence or wall away from the house. Traditionally burglaries increase country wide this time of year, with Christmas approaching and the darker nights. Let's not make it easy for them. Secure your property as best you can, always double lock UPVC doors and windows. The team will be happy to pay you a visit to offer crime prevention advice. We will be holding a series of street briefings over the coming weeks to reach as many people as possible in regards to crime prevention. Invites will be delivered by the team a couple of days prior to the event informing residents of time and location. Please follow us on twitter @MPSBarnehurst for all the latest updates and crime prevention advice". Belvedere ward:-"After our recent ward panel meeting, it was decided that the team will be concentrating our efforts around burglary, road safety/ traffic and also ASB (Anti-Social behaviour) offences. This week the team have been making enquiries in relation to the recent burglary in Lower Road, calling at neighbouring properties in an effort to gain CCTV images of those responsible. There were further burglaries on the ward at the start of the week, on Sunday 18th in Heron Hill and Monday 19th in Ripley Road. PC Holmes has assisted officers from the neighbouring Erith ward in dealing with an assault in Erith Town centre and a shoplifter in Erith shopping centre. The team attended a strategy meeting with Bexley Council in relation to a troubled youth who lives on the ward. This was a positive meeting with various plans put in place to assist and provide support to the youth and his family. As a follow up to the recent warrants undertaken by the team, PC Holmes this week interviewed 3 people in relation to drugs offences. All three gave full admissions and were given cautions". Bexleyheath ward:- "We have had a burglary reported that happened on Monday 19/11/2018 along Dorothy Evans Close Bexleyheath, a rear window was smashed to gain entry to the property. Also, on Tuesday 20/11/2018 – there was another burglary reported along Latham Road Bexleyheath with little information. We have had received information recently that one resident had heard a bang at the front of their property and had noticed a male running away early hours in the morning. If you do notice any suspicious behaviour, please make sure Police are called.Saturday 17/11/2018 – There was a report of theft along the Broadway Bexleyheath. Saturday 17/11/2018 – Theft from motor vehicle along Highfield Road Bexleyheath. Items taken from inside the vehicle. There was an arrest made for possession of cannabis in the Marriott Car Park, also a vehicle was stopped with no insurance. The team conduct regular hi-visibility patrols. Also patrols are conducted in the car park areas and the Broadway to reduce anti-social behaviour including Martens Grove Park. We also attended the Christmas Tree Lights being turned on along the Broadway recently. If you do wish to pass on information to Police then please contact Crime Stoppers on 0800 555111. Please do not hesitate to contact us via Twitter, Facebook, email and the ward phone. Remember, in an emergency please dial 999 and 101 for non-urgent reporting". Crayford ward:- "We are sorry to report there has been an increase in burglary in the Crayford area this last week. Between 19.30 on Friday 16th November and 18.30 on Monday 19th November a burglary occurred at Hall Place Crescent. The property had been locked and secure and entry was made via a rear bedroom window, an untidy search and unknown at this stage what may be missing. On Monday 19th November between 11.00-16.00 entry was made to a property in Crayford Way by smashing a rear patio door, items had been disturbed within the property, it is believed the suspect (s) were disturbed. There have been two burglaries in Green Walk. The first occurred between 07.00-20.25 on Monday 19th November, the victim came home to find the kitchen window open and signs of entry, rooms had been disturbed but at the time of reporting it was unclear if anything had been stolen. The second occurred between 07.30 on Friday 16th November and 07.30 on Tuesday 20th November, the victim came home to find a front window open, entry was via the rear kitchen window and jewellery was stolen. Please make your home look like someone is at home, lights on, timer lights, 'fake TV', radio on are just a few suggestions. Ensure windows and doors are securely closed and locked. Maybe consider having CCTV or a burglar alarm installed. For more information please look at www.met.police.uk. A silver Honda 125 was stolen from a rear garden in Marden Crescent overnight on Thursday 15th November. A large quantity of food items were stolen from Greggs on Friday 16th November at 14.40. The suspect was described as a white Female wearing a burgundy track suit and she had a baby in a pram with her. Body panels, front number plate, front grill and front bumper were stolen from a van parked in Glebelands between 20.45 pm Thursday 15th November and 06.30 on Friday 16th November. A silver Citroen Berlingo LV68KPE was stolen from the forecourt of Wilmoths Citroen Dealership in London Road, it was noted that the keys had been stolen too, they had been in the showroom. On Friday 16th November number plates ML09UPV were stolen from a vehicle parked in Mill Place. The correct vehicle they should be attached to is a white Vauxhall Combo 1700. There have been many reports of anti-social behaviour by youths in the town centre, riding bicycles at people and traffic, throwing stones, taking what is not theirs, abusive and intimidating behaviour. This is not acceptable and we would like to identify these young people to make their parents aware. We are also reviewing CCTV and will refer these youths for intervention once identified". Erith ward:- "Burglary on Bexley Road. A male entered front door and stole cash, we have spoken to all residents in this area and gave them some advice. We have been working with Bexley collage and have some joint plans for later in the year. Remember people have started Christmas shopping so if you have, make sure you do not leave items on show when you leave the house and overnight or even in your car. You will see us in Erith High Street a lot in the run up to Christmas so make sure you say hello. Crime this week - Criminal Damage U£500 Tuesday 30/10/2018 Butler Drive - By unknown suspects smashing Victims vehicle rear window. Shoplift <£200 Thursday 15/11/2018 16:25:00 Erith High Street - Suspect hit victim on the legs with a walking stick due to being annoyed with his playing; Theft of cycle Friday 16/11/2018 Avenue Road - By unknown suspect(s) removing pedal cycle from venue without consent of owner; Making off Saturday 17/11/2018 15:36:00 Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc, James Watt Way; Burg Res Friday 09/11/2018, Lower Road – entered through back door and items stolen; C/Dam Vehicle U£500 Saturday 17/11/2018 Park Crescent; Shoplift <£200 Saturday 17/11/2018, Erith High Street – goods taken; Criminal Damage U £500 Wednesday 20/11/2018 West Street – car window smashed; Theft Thursday 21/11/2018, St Johns Road - Unknown suspects have climbed through an open window and conducted an untidy search whereby property have been taken. Our next Contact Session is Wednesday 28th November 1300 - 1400 at Costa Coffee, Erith. Feel free to pop along".

Northumberland Heath ward:- "The team have been conducting violent crime disorder patrols throughout the weekend, specifically targeted in hotspot areas across Erith. This has been a proactive and preventative initiative by Bexley Police and not in response to any specific intelligence or incident in the area. During the patrols, PC Smith from the North Heath team arrested an elderly male, who had struck a young child with a walking stick in the Riverside Shopping Centre. This matter was fully investigated and the male was reported for common assault and he has received a Community Resolution as a result of this. We also spent much of the weekend patrolling through Northumberland Heath's current ASB and crime hotspot area's. In all of the areas patrolled, late into the evening's all appeared well. We have unfortunately had a few incidents of note reported this last week. Residential burglary in Mortimer Close on 17/11/2018 between 12pm - 10pm. A glass panel at the rear of the property has been smashed and entry gained. An untidy search of the entire property has taken place and mainly jewellery items and some cash has been stolen. Attempted burglary in Avenue Road on 17/11/2018 between 4:30pm – 8:30pm. An attempt has been made to force entry to the side door of the property. The house alarm which sounded appears to have disrupted the offenders and no entry was gained. Two further burglaries have also been reported in Brook Street and Eastry Road but both appear to be of a civil dispute in nature and no property appears to have been taken. A van has been broken into and tools stolen from within on Frinsted Road at some points between 19th – 20th November.  A suspicious incident of robbery / GBH has also been reported to have taken place in Hind Crescent on 18/11/2018 at approximately 12:30am. If you have any information in relation to any of these incidents please report this to the police and continue to be vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour or activity you see. . I would like to also remind you that the Bexley SNB/ BCSP public meeting on ‘tackling violent crime' is being held at King Henry School, Avenue Road on 29/11/2018 between 7pm to 9pm". Slade Green and Northend ward - no reports this week. Thamesmead East ward:- "Good News Story - On Thursday 15/10/18 PC Nana came across 2 youths with 2 motorbikes the two males made off, leaving behind one bike they were unable to get started. Also left at the scene was personal property belonging to the suspects these have been sent to forensics. On Friday 16/11/18 Working in partnership with Peabody wardens 2 stolen bikes were recovered victims updated. Wednesday 14/11/18 between 10pm-2am Theft of Number Plates Kale Road; Friday 16/11/18 Burglary Turnberry Close between 5-9pm Entry through rear UPVC door; Saturday 17/11/18 between 10pm-11am Theft of Number Plates Kale Road; Tuesday 20/11/18 between 3am-12pm Criminal Damage Hinksey Path to fence panel". West Heath ward:- "During the week commencing 14th November we have been working with our neighbouring teams to carry out high visibility burglary patrols across our three wards. The ward has had one attempted burglary - in Leckwith Avenue on Wednesday 14th November at 0430 hours. The house alarm was activated whilst the residents were sleeping. On Wednesday 14th November between 0529 – 0530 hours in Axminster Crescent a vehicle and keys were stolen, entry was gained via an insecure door. Between 1955 – 2015 on Friday 16th November in Lodge Hill patio doors to the property were smashed, an untidy search was conducted and jewellery stolen. In Leckwith Avenue on Monday 12th November between 0500 – 1430 hours a vehicle had its windscreen smashed. Between 0100 – 0430 hours a vehicle was stolen in Gypsy Road, no keys were taken. Our next community contact session will be on Friday 30th November in Brampton Road between 3 – 4pm. We look forward to speaking to you about any issues which may be of concern to you".

Further to my prediction in the summer that the Metropolitan Police were about to change their strategy when dealing with motorbike and scooter criminals, an announcement was made on Friday in this respect. Normally I never feature stories that have made the national news, as there is no point in duplicating information from other, more professional sources, but in this case the story was actually broken locally, and historically only later became of national importance. It just goes to show that something that originally started as a local crime and anti social behaviour issue centred around Thamesmead, Abbey Wood, and Lower Belvedere but now creates interest nationally. In an interview published by Time 107.5 FM on Friday, the following information was made public:- The head of the Met’s Operation Venice Team says they will be pursued even when they ride dangerously and discard their helmets. Moped crime has been in the headlines after a spike in the last few years. Police say there’s been a large reduction with 44 percent fewer moped crimes January 2018 to October 2018 than the same 10 months of 2017. There was also a 38 percent drop in moped thefts in the same period. Police say moped crime can happen at any time of the day or night. Victims are often targeted as they come out of tube stations or at transport hubs. Thieves also snatch handbags, high-value watches, and other items. Police are using a range of tactics across Greater London to tackle offenders, including DNA "Smart Water" forensic tagging and the use of automatic tyre deflation devices. Commander Amanda Pearson said: “There is a perception that if you remove your helmet or fail to stop for police when requested to do so we will not take any further course of action. This is untrue. The public quite rightly expects us to intervene to keep London safe. Our highly trained police drivers weigh up the risks and decide upon the most appropriate tactics in those circumstances.  Offenders on mopeds and motorcycles who attempt to evade the police are making a choice that puts themselves and others at risk. So our message is clear: we can, we will and we do target those involved in moped and motorcycle crime at every opportunity.” Footage released on Friday by the Met shows the tactics that specially trained drivers are able to use to reduce the need for pursuits and prevent injury occurring to offenders and members of the public. You can see the results in the video embedded below. Metropolitan Police drivers successfully ramming scumbag illegal scooter and motorbike riders off the road - something that they should have been allowed to do a very long time ago. I just wish they would adopt best practice from the Brazilian Police. In parts of Brazil, If an illegal bike rider does not come to a halt immediately upon order, the Police ram the bike off the road, then reverse back over the rider just to make sure the job is properly done. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.