Police have hit back at shadow home secretary Diane Abbott after she criticised the Met’s new controversial tactic of ramming fleeing moped gangs.

The Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington blasted police for the new tactic saying officers are "not above the law" and that "knocking people off bikes is potentially very dangerous".

But Camden police officers hit back, saying that someone who is responsible for law-making should realise that using tactical contact to terminate dangerous pursuits was "entirely within our lawful power".

The Hackney MP tweeted on Tuesday: “Knocking people off bikes is potentially very dangerous. It shouldn’t be legal for anyone.

“Police are not above the law”.

The Met's new hardline war on moped gangs was unveiled last week with footage of officers using the tactic of ramming fleeing moped thugs. The method has been widely praised by some members of the public and former officers alike, but also attracted criticism.

Officers from Camden Police – one of the London boroughs with the highest rates of moped-enabled crime– responded to the Shadow Home Secretary tweet.

Camden Police said: “Someone who's responsible for law-making (or at least debating and ratifying new legislation) should probably realise that using tactical contact to terminate dangerous pursuits is entirely within our lawful power... And our responsibility.”

In response, a member of the public asked the police: “Surely you can terminate a dangerous pursuit by ceasing to pursue?!”

To which the force replied: “There are plenty of instances where a terminated pursuit has later ended up with the suspect vehicle crashing, and causing more injury and damage than if it had been terminated as safely as possible in the circumstances at an opportune moment.”

Officers from Waltham Forest also replied to Ms Abbott's tweet, saying: "To mitigate risk to the public & also offenders, we use a range of tactics including tactical contact. There has been a significant reduction in motorcycle & scooter crime with a decrease of 10,974 offences to date this year in comparison to 2017”.

Ms Abbott is yet to respond to the officers.

Earlier this week, a retired police officer defended the use of the tactic.

Author John Sutherland said those who commit crimes, should “choose the consequences”.

Mr Sutherland added: “If the crime hadn’t been committed, there would be no need for the police to act. If the rider hadn’t failed to stop, there would be no need for the police to intervene.

“It’s strange how easily we can forget these things sometimes.”

A spokesman for the Labour party said: "Major operational changes by the police that affects public and police officer safety need to have clear oversight and follow due process, especially where there is a potential impact for legal ramifications.”