What powers do the police have?
Staffordshire Police has a range of powers to deal with e-scooters and powerful e-bikes being ridden illegally or antisocially.
Privately owned e-scooters and powerful e-bikes are treated as motor vehicles under UK law. Because they cannot currently be insured for use on public roads, riding one in public can amount to driving without insurance.
Depending on the circumstances, police can:
- stop a rider
- Vehicle seizure and potential destruction
- An unlimited fine if taken to court
- Six penalty points on your licence
- A potential driving ban
- use powers under section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002 where a vehicle is being used in an antisocial manner.
A seized e-scooter or e-bike may ultimately be destroyed.
Why your reports matter
Police cannot be everywhere at once.
Officers need information from communities to understand where illegal or antisocial riding is happening and when it is most likely to occur.
Reports can identify patterns and hotspots and help neighbourhood policing teams plan targeted activity.
So even if an officer does not attend immediately, reporting still matters.
If you regularly see e-scooters or e-bikes being ridden illegally in your area, don't assume somebody else has reported it. Make a report yourself.
The more accurate the information available to the police, the better the picture they have of what is happening locally - and the better placed they are to take appropriate action.
How to report
If someone is in immediate danger, a serious incident is taking place or there is an immediate risk to the public, call 999.
For non-emergency e-scooter or e-bike reports, call 101 or email lichfieldpolice@staffordshire.police.uk.
If e-scooter or e-bike use forms part of wider, ongoing antisocial behaviour in your neighbourhood, you can also report the ASB to us.
When reporting, provide as much useful information as you safely can, such as the date and time, location, description of the rider and scooter, direction of travel and whether the same person or scooter has been seen before.
Never put yourself at risk to gather information, take photographs or confront a rider.
