PCC calls for tougher e-bike and e-scooter powers

Simon Foster said the vehicles were being increasingly used by criminals

The West Midlands police and crime commissioner (PCC) has asked for extra powers to tackle the "growing threat posed by e-bikes, e-scooters and other vehicles being used recklessly and unlawfully on the region's roads".

Simon Foster said he wanted "urgent changes to the law" to allow police to destroy the vehicles within seven days, rather than the current 14.

Foster said some e-bikes had been modified to reach speeds of up to 70mph (113kmph) and were "increasingly being used by criminal gangs and networks".

He said their "speed, agility, and lack of registration make them ideal for evading police and intimidating the public".

The PCC also said he would make the case for "strict regulations on the weight, power and speed of privately-owned e-scooters", if it became legal to use them in public spaces in the UK.

It is currently illegal to use privately owned e-scooters on public roads, pavements and cycle lanes in the UK, but they can be used on private land with the landowner's permission.

Rental e-scooters that are part of approved trials are legal to use in designated areas.

His proposals were submitted as part of a national consultation and he said he made the suggestion after talking to West Midlands officers.

Foster said he had been told the electric bikes and scooters were "often used without insurance, registration, or safety equipment, and were frequently involved in dangerous group riding, off-road activity, and pavement use".

He said the proposed change would also reduce police storage costs and send a clear deterrent message.