LONDON: As legions of Arab travelers book their summer flights to London to escape the soaring heat of the Gulf, the city’s police force has warned tourists to be extra vigilant of moped crime.
In the past two years, mopeds have become the vehicles of choice for mobile phone robberies, bag snatches and even acid attacks in the UK capital.
According to the Metropolitan Police, the Kensington and Chelsea area — a popular spot for tourists from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) — is among the top ten London boroughs most affected by moped crimes. The others are: Lambeth, Southwark, Hackney, Haringey, Newham, Islington, Westminster, Wandsworth, and Camden.
Kevin Howells, chairman of the Motorcycle Crime Reduction Group, urged visitors from the GCC “not to draw attention to themselves.”
Howells suggested covering up phones when not in use and using smaller, less noticeable handbags where possible. “Some people like to show they are successful but it’s best to be low-key. Be mindful of your surroundings and stay in well-lit areas,” he advised.
The increase in moped-based crime has been dramatic. In the 12 months to June 2017, the Met police recorded 16,158 thefts by people using mopeds — more than three times as many as the 5,145 reported between July 2015 and June 2016.
One video released by the Metropolitan Police shows a moped gang deliberately running down a man in London, apparently to steal his watch.
A police spokesperson told Arab News: “We are working hard to keep the public safe and make the streets hostile territory for criminals who use mopeds, motorbikes and bicycles to snatch valuables from members of the public.
“It is important that the public are aware of their surroundings at all times and protect their personal property, as this crime happens in an instant.”
According to a Visit Britain spokesperson, there were 777,000 visits from the GCC to the UK in 2016, up 7 percent on the previous year, with visitors from the GCC spending £1.43 billion ($1.87 billion). Visits from Saudi Arabia to the UK broke records in 2016 with 152,000 visits, up 3 percent on 2015. There were 109,000 visits from Saudi Arabia to London specifically in 2016, up 4 percent on 2015.
As summer tourist season reaches its peak, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement that it is committed to taking every opportunity to “divert, disrupt, detect and prosecute those involved in scooter, moped, and motorcycle-related criminality”.
“This is done in a coordinated approach under ‘Operation Venice’ whose officers conduct targeted operations throughout London and through intelligence-led investigations and operations prevent and detect moped theft,” it said.
The police statement advised tourists to be aware of their surroundings at all times and keep personal property secure. The report also advised visitors “not to text while walking; use the security features on your phone; and try going hands-free or standing away from the roadside close to a wall so no one can come up behind you.”
The statement added: “Your phone comes with a range of security features, such as keypad locks and remote data wiping. Make sure they are all activated to stop thieves from accessing your phone and personal data. Know how to identify your phone if it’s stolen.”
The police force also advised visitors to obtain their personal IMEI number by dialling *#06# and keeping a written note of the number. If the phone is stolen, report it to the police and the mobile provider to stop it being used.
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Gulf travelers warned about London ‘moped menace’
Gulf travelers warned about London ‘moped menace’
Court records raise doubts that ICE is detaining the ‘worst of the worst’ in Maine
- Federal officials say more than 100 people have been detained statewide enforcement ‘Operation Catch of the Day’
- ICE has said the operation is targeting about 1,400 immigrants in a state of about 1.4 million people
PORTLAND, Maine: Immigration and Customs Enforcement has highlighted the detention of people whom it called some of Maine’s most dangerous criminals during operations this past week, but court records paint a more complicated picture.
Federal officials say more than 100 people have been detained statewide in what ICE dubbed “Operation Catch of the Day,” a reference to the fishing industry. ICE said in a statement that it was arresting the “worst of the worst,” including “child abusers and hostage takers.”
Court records show some were violent felons. But they also show other detainees with unresolved immigration proceedings or who were arrested but never convicted of a crime.
Immigration attorneys and local officials say similar concerns have surfaced in other cities where ICE has conducted enforcement surges and many of those targeted lacked criminal records.
One case highlighted by ICE that involves serious felony offenses and criminal convictions is that of Sudan native Dominic Ali. ICE said Ali was convicted of false imprisonment, aggravated assault, assault, obstructing justice and violating a protective order.
Court records show Ali was convicted in 2004 of violating a protective order and in 2008 of second-degree assault, false imprisonment and obstructing the reporting of a crime. In the latter case, prosecutors said he threw his girlfriend to the floor of her New Hampshire apartment, kicked her and broke her collarbone.
“His conduct amounted to nothing less than torture,” Judge James Barry said in 2009 before sentencing Ali to five to 10 years in prison.
Ali was later paroled to ICE custody, and in 2013 an immigration judge ordered his removal. No further information was available from the Executive Office for Immigration Review, and it remains unclear what happened after that order.
Other cases were more nuanced, like that of Elmara Correia, an Angola native whom ICE highlighted in its public promotion of the operation, saying she was “arrested previously for endangering the welfare of a child.”
Maine court records show someone with that name was charged in 2023 with violating a law related to learner’s permits for new drivers, a case that was later dismissed.
Correia filed a petition Wednesday challenging her detention, and a judge issued a temporary emergency order barring authorities from transferring her from Massachusetts, where she is being held. Her attorney said she entered the United States legally on a student visa about eight years ago and has never been subject to expedited removal proceedings.
“Was she found not guilty, or are we just going to be satisfied that she was arrested?” Portland Mayor Mark Dion said during a news conference in which he raised concerns that ICE failed to distinguish between arrests and convictions or explain whether sentences were served.
Dion also pointed to another person named in the release: Dany Lopez-Cortez, whom ICE said is a “criminal illegal alien” from Guatemala who was convicted of operating under the influence.
ICE highlighted Lopez-Cortez’s case among a small group of examples it said reflected the types of arrests made during the operation. Dion questioned whether an operating-under-the-influence conviction, a serious offense but one commonly seen in Maine, should rise to the level of ICE’s “worst of the worst” public narrative.
Boston immigration attorney Caitlyn Burgess said her office filed habeas petitions Thursday on behalf of four clients who were detained in Maine and transferred to Massachusetts.
The most serious charge any of them faced was driving without a license, Burgess said, and all had pending immigration court cases or applications.
“Habeas petitions are often the only tool available to stop rapid transfers that sever access to counsel and disrupt pending immigration proceedings,” she said.
Attorney Samantha McHugh said she filed five habeas petitions on behalf of Maine detainees Thursday and expected to file three more soon.
“None of these individuals have any criminal record,” said McHugh, who is representing a total of eight detainees. “They were simply at work, eating lunch, when unmarked vehicles arrived and immigration agents trespassed on private property to detain them.”
Federal court records show that immigration cases involving criminal convictions can remain unresolved or be revisited years later.
Another whose mug shot was included in materials on “the worst of the worst” of those detained in Maine is Ambessa Berhe.
Berhe was convicted of cocaine possession and assaulting a police officer in 1996 and cocaine possession in 2003.
In 2006 a federal appeals court in Boston vacated a removal order for him and sent the case back to the Board of Immigration Appeals for further consideration.
According to the ruling, Berhe was born in Ethiopia and later taken to Sudan by his adoptive parents. The family was admitted to the United States as refugees in 1987, when he was about 9.
ICE has said the operation is targeting about 1,400 immigrants in a state of about 1.4 million people, roughly four percent of whom are foreign-born.
Federal officials say more than 100 people have been detained statewide in what ICE dubbed “Operation Catch of the Day,” a reference to the fishing industry. ICE said in a statement that it was arresting the “worst of the worst,” including “child abusers and hostage takers.”
Court records show some were violent felons. But they also show other detainees with unresolved immigration proceedings or who were arrested but never convicted of a crime.
Immigration attorneys and local officials say similar concerns have surfaced in other cities where ICE has conducted enforcement surges and many of those targeted lacked criminal records.
One case highlighted by ICE that involves serious felony offenses and criminal convictions is that of Sudan native Dominic Ali. ICE said Ali was convicted of false imprisonment, aggravated assault, assault, obstructing justice and violating a protective order.
Court records show Ali was convicted in 2004 of violating a protective order and in 2008 of second-degree assault, false imprisonment and obstructing the reporting of a crime. In the latter case, prosecutors said he threw his girlfriend to the floor of her New Hampshire apartment, kicked her and broke her collarbone.
“His conduct amounted to nothing less than torture,” Judge James Barry said in 2009 before sentencing Ali to five to 10 years in prison.
Ali was later paroled to ICE custody, and in 2013 an immigration judge ordered his removal. No further information was available from the Executive Office for Immigration Review, and it remains unclear what happened after that order.
Other cases were more nuanced, like that of Elmara Correia, an Angola native whom ICE highlighted in its public promotion of the operation, saying she was “arrested previously for endangering the welfare of a child.”
Maine court records show someone with that name was charged in 2023 with violating a law related to learner’s permits for new drivers, a case that was later dismissed.
Correia filed a petition Wednesday challenging her detention, and a judge issued a temporary emergency order barring authorities from transferring her from Massachusetts, where she is being held. Her attorney said she entered the United States legally on a student visa about eight years ago and has never been subject to expedited removal proceedings.
“Was she found not guilty, or are we just going to be satisfied that she was arrested?” Portland Mayor Mark Dion said during a news conference in which he raised concerns that ICE failed to distinguish between arrests and convictions or explain whether sentences were served.
Dion also pointed to another person named in the release: Dany Lopez-Cortez, whom ICE said is a “criminal illegal alien” from Guatemala who was convicted of operating under the influence.
ICE highlighted Lopez-Cortez’s case among a small group of examples it said reflected the types of arrests made during the operation. Dion questioned whether an operating-under-the-influence conviction, a serious offense but one commonly seen in Maine, should rise to the level of ICE’s “worst of the worst” public narrative.
Boston immigration attorney Caitlyn Burgess said her office filed habeas petitions Thursday on behalf of four clients who were detained in Maine and transferred to Massachusetts.
The most serious charge any of them faced was driving without a license, Burgess said, and all had pending immigration court cases or applications.
“Habeas petitions are often the only tool available to stop rapid transfers that sever access to counsel and disrupt pending immigration proceedings,” she said.
Attorney Samantha McHugh said she filed five habeas petitions on behalf of Maine detainees Thursday and expected to file three more soon.
“None of these individuals have any criminal record,” said McHugh, who is representing a total of eight detainees. “They were simply at work, eating lunch, when unmarked vehicles arrived and immigration agents trespassed on private property to detain them.”
Federal court records show that immigration cases involving criminal convictions can remain unresolved or be revisited years later.
Another whose mug shot was included in materials on “the worst of the worst” of those detained in Maine is Ambessa Berhe.
Berhe was convicted of cocaine possession and assaulting a police officer in 1996 and cocaine possession in 2003.
In 2006 a federal appeals court in Boston vacated a removal order for him and sent the case back to the Board of Immigration Appeals for further consideration.
According to the ruling, Berhe was born in Ethiopia and later taken to Sudan by his adoptive parents. The family was admitted to the United States as refugees in 1987, when he was about 9.
ICE has said the operation is targeting about 1,400 immigrants in a state of about 1.4 million people, roughly four percent of whom are foreign-born.
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