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“We must allow tactical contact like in London! It will calm them down, these thugs.” In England, to stop two-wheelers, the police use what they call the “dumping technique”. In France, many people are calling for the generalization of this technique to fight against “urban rodeos”.
In England, it is mainly “scorpion” units that are trained in this dabbing technique. But there, this method is not used to counter “urban rodeo” but to respond to the increase in snatching on two wheels. In 2018, as soon as the dabbing technique was implemented in the country, England saw a 36% drop in scooter crime compared to the previous year.
Although the technique of dabbing developed in England, its use remains rare. Between April 2020 and April 2021, London police carried out 17 rammings on two-wheelers and 48 under other vehicles. In France, in the event of a fall by the driver, the responsibility of the police is engaged. This represents a problem for the police forces, who see their actions limited, particularly in terms of arrests.
“We don’t have the right to chase them for an essential reason: first of all, we can’t compromise the safety of the author of the rodeo, who will inevitably take risks, he will take risks for himself and also for road users, and the colleagues themselves will take risks to challenge the individual”, explains Camille Jacquot, assistant commissioner and head of the public road service. Yet in France, many would like to use this technique to fight against “urban rodeo”, punishable by one year in prison and a 15,000 euro fine.