A dedicated moped-enabled crime hub has been set up to help Wandsworth Police crackdown on the growing problem in the capital.

The hub is just one of the ways the authorities are trying to tackle the issue, with figures showing the crimes have soared by 600 per cent in London.

In 12 months there were more than 7,500 offences, including attacks, robberies and thefts, which is about 22 per day.

Chief Inspector Dale Anderton said: “We have seen a significant rise across London of moped-enabled crime in general but what we’ve seen in this borough is a decrease overall.

“It doesn’t mean the crime doesn’t exist and it’s not a significant problem, it is.”

Seven officers, including one sergeant, have been dedicated to tackling this area of criminality for the past four months, which has helped with the reduction.

A video was released in early May which showed people on mopeds terrorising residents in Battersea. However, CI Anderton said this is an uncommon occurrence.

See related: Police accused of ‘failing’ Battersea residents as gang members on mopeds terrorise people with machetes

“What we don’t see is this type of criminality to the extent you see in other parts of London where they are using violence or brandishing weapons,” the CI said.

“We do have a significant amount of scooters, mopeds, and motorbikes stolen on the borough though.”

Ci Anderton said officers often get flack for not pursuing the thieves on bikes but it can often be disproportionally dangerous to do so.

CI Anderton said: “It’s still a tactic we use but we have national guidelines to adhere to.

“As police officers we are accountable for actions and sometimes pursuing a moped for a less serious crime isn’t proportional because there’s a risk to the public, to the person, and to officers.”

Aiding the fight against moped crime is Wandsworth’s nearly 1,400 CCTV cameras - more than any other borough, including Westminster.

Robyn Thomas, head of community safety for Wandsworth Council, said: “The council will continue to invest in CCTV and we are looking to increase the flexibility of that asset by investing in additional re-deployable cameras.”

Re-deployable cameras, from which live and recorded events can be viewed, can be moved very easily from place to place.

A vehicle multi-agency panel (VMAP) is in place in which a vast array of partners from different agencies, such as family support workers, teachers, and the council, work together to tackle this type of crime. A crime partnership meeting “dedicated to ending youth violence” takes place every month.

CI Anderton said: “The vast majority of people involved in this type of crime are under 18 so we’ll involve teachers, schools, and the council on different projects.

“We offer diversions- employment opportunities or training for example- but if they are not willing to accept them there are some strong measures we can take.

“It was only last year that a family was evicted from their home because their son was involved in this type of crime.”

Along with sharing intelligence with 14 other boroughs, as well as Surrey Police, Google search capacity has been purchased so when people search terms to do with moped crime, four videos will pop up showing how easy it is to steal mopeds depending on the security.

CI Anderton said: “We do need help from the public on this. Lock up your mopeds.

“Take control of your property, ideally not having valuables in cars, but certainly not on display.

“You can have opportunistic thieves on mopeds, breaking car windows, taking valuables and driving off.

“We are desperate to hear from the community. We get lots of information after the fact but rarely do we see the public pick up the phone when it’s happening.

“When we hear about two or three days later there’s very little we can do about it.”

A theft prevention session is taking place just outside Starbucks on Northcote Road on Thursday, May 25, where residents can get advice from officers and get a discount on locks. With poor quality locks, mopeds can be stolen in under ten seconds. It will run from 3pm to 6.30pm.