Mum who stopped Luton bike thief ‘let down’ by police

Although a “supportive” police officer arrived shortly afterwards, Xristina felt frustrated.

“If only the police could have turned around and helped me when I needed them most,” she said.

“Something needs to be changed with the law and the police force. It’s like an epidemic. Everybody is being targeted by these moped thieves.

“I feel like the system is failing.”

She said her bike, which was fairly new, suffered about £2,000 worth of damage.

Bedfordshire Police said it was called to reports of an attempted theft at 12:50 BST on 24 June.

“Police have carried out several lines of enquiry, including CCTV reviews and an investigation is ongoing.”

The force said it had “recently undertaken proactive and intelligence-led operations to target those who have been involved in the theft of motor vehicles”.

It added that in the last month, five people had been arrested in connection with similar offences.