Police pursuit vehicles are now allowed to ram suspected moped criminals even if they are not wearing a helmet, in a move that has drawn both support and criticism.

Police units can now target suspects even if they ride dangerously, remove their helmets or disguise themselves.

Until recently police were reluctant to give chase to moped criminals for fear they would be held responsible if a rider was injured - or killed.

In the recent past, some moped-borne criminals have discarded their helmets in the belief that police would not give chase due to the inherent risks.

But that "myth" was dispelled by the Home Office earlier this year when it was made clear police would not be held responsible for any accidents that resulted from a chase.

The Metropolitan Police recently released dash-cam footage showing police intercepting moped criminals, often by ramming them - in one case when the rider was not wearing a helmet.

The hope is moped gangs will be dissuaded from committing such crimes.

The new police tactics have been praised by many, including Good Morning Britain's Pierce Morgan who expressed his "joy that something's being done [about moped crime]," when speaking to lawyer Nick Freeman on his show.

However, Mr Freeman said: "Talking as a lawyer… the police have to comply with the rule of law… by deliberately ramming [the suspects] to try and apprehend them is unlawful, it's dangerous driving, it’s assault, it will leave the door open [for the state to be sued]."

According to the latest year-on-year data, from January 2017 to October 2017 there were 19,455 moped offences across London, compared to 12,419 offences in the same period across 2018 - representing a fall of 44 per cent.

The most recent year-on-year figures for moped thefts showed that from January 2017 to October 2017 there were 12,192 offences London-wide, falling to 8,261 across the same period in 2018 - a drop of 38 per cent.

While the new police tactics appear to be making a big impact on moped crime figures, some MPs have criticised the approach.

Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott described the tactic as "extremely concerning".

She tweeted: “Knocking people off bikes is potentially very dangerous. It shouldn’t be legal for anyone. Police are not above the law”.

However, John Apter, National Chair of the Police Federation, responded to the Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington: “My colleagues are doing the best they can to prevent robberies, violent attacks and muggings.

“All their decisions will be based on a wide range of information but they need the law to support them. This is very unhelpful.”