Police won't chase if thief has no helmet

Police refused to chase a thief who had stolen a moped because the youth was not wearing a helmet, the victim said yesterday.

Max Foster, 18, said officers told him they feared being sued if the thief fell off the moped and injured himself.

He was staying at a friend's house in Bath when he was woken at 1.45am by the sound of his machine being ridden outside.

He saw three youths taking it in turns to ride without helmets, and he dialled 999.

Two officers from a police response unit arrived shortly after the trio sped away, but Mr Foster said they told him they could not go after them.

"They said they weren't allowed to follow the yobs because they were not wearing helmets and it was too dangerous," said Mr Foster. "They told me the force could be sued if the riders fell off mid-chase and hurt themselves.