London police are accused of ignoring knife crime epidemic after holding PR stunt where a 155mph BMW was dressed up as a patrol car – but will never take to the streets to catch criminals
- The eco-friendly hybrid BMW i8 was patrolled around Met’s headquarters today
- It is part of the police’s efforts to obey London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone rules
- The £130,000 car won’t be used to fight crime on the capital’s streets
- Metropolitan police say vehicle was provided at no cost to them, including livery
By Henry Goodwin For The Daily Mail
Published: 21:04 EDT, 9 July 2019 | Updated: 02:11 EDT, 10 July 2019
Police in London have shown off an extravagant £130,000 Batmobile-style car, but won’t be using it to fight crime on the capital’s violence-ridden streets.
The flashy car, an eco-friendly hybrid BMW i8, patrolled the roads near the Met’s headquarters yesterday as part of the police’s efforts to prove it is obeying the city’s controversial new Ultra Low Emission Zone.
The ULEZ, introduced by Mayor Sadiq Khan in April, punishes older petrol and diesel cars for driving in certain parts of London.
A police BMW i8 sports car drives near Parliament. It won’t be used to fight crime on the capital’s violence-ridden streets
German car manufacturer BMW loaned the car to the Met, which can reach a top speed of 155 miles per hour.
Critics leapt on the PR stunt, accusing the Met of neglecting London’s knife crime epidemic.
Former Detective Chief Inspector Mick Neville told The Sun: ‘Too often, senior police officers forget the role of the police is to prevent and detect crime – not virtue signalling about fashionable causes.
‘The Met should be more focused on reducing the murder rate rather than worrying about environmental targets.’
A spokesperson for the Met said: ‘The vehicle was provided at no cost to the Met, including the livery
Last month the Met was accused of wasting £10 million on ‘leadership training’. 10,000 officers and staff attended a five day course which involved taking tests to tell them what ‘colour’ their personality is.
Knife crime in England and Wales currently stands at its highest level since records began, with almost 44,500 offences last year, while murder and manslaughter reached a ten-year high in 2018, when 732 people were killed.
A spokesperson for the Met said: ‘The vehicle was provided at no cost to the Met, including the livery
‘The Met is raising awareness within the organisation of different vehicles with the technology available to meet the Mayor’s environmental requirements for London. There is no intention for the Met to purchase these vehicles for policing London.’
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