Street Cops Strap On Skates

Pickpockets will have to get their skates on if they want to outpace the Amsterdam police’s latest mobile patrol.

Cops in the Dutch capital are strapping on in-line skates in an effort to keep up with fast-moving street criminals, spokesman Klaas Wilting said Wednesday.

The idea came from young officers who are “always looking for ways to chase criminals faster,” Wilting said.

A pilot team of at least six officers will be launched in the next few weeks, targeting pickpockets and street robbers who prey on tourists in the city center.

The idea might just be the perfect solution for this city with narrow streets and alleys unreachable by patrol cars.

But the skating cops will stay away from the jagged cobbled streets along the city’s canals, Wilting said.