Police chief wants more e-scooter enforcement powers

Derbyshire Police say they regularly receive complaints about how e-scooters are being ridden

Derbyshire's Chief Constable says she wants her officers to have more powers to tackle e-scooters.

Rachel Swann said the force regularly receives complaints from the public about them being ridden illegally and in an anti-social manner.

The county's top police officer now wants to make it easier to identify and prosecute offenders.

She said the force is considering using so-called "smart water" to link culprits to instances of wrongdoing.

Derbyshire Chief Constable Rachel Swann is planning to lobby for greater powers to tackle e-scooters

Ms Swann told BBC Radio Derby that since they became popular, e-scooters have regularly been raised as an area of concern by the public.

She said: "Myself and the new PCC [Police and Crime Commissioner, Nicolle Ndiweni] have had discussions on who we can lobby, in order to increase the powers to tackle this.

"I do think there are things that could be done to make it harder to have an e-scooter, to make them more identifiable and make it easier for us to enforce."

She said it was a "difficult issue to tackle", despite the law stating they can't be ridden on public roads or footpaths.

A small government-approved pilot, which allowed a handful of e-scooters to be ridden legally, closed in December.

'Huge' under-reporting

In 2021, Derbyshire Police said it received 237 reports relating to e-scooters.

That figure rose to 238 in 2022, and 259 last year.

Ms Swann said: "In the grand scheme of [things] that's a really low number, and I think people are under-reporting it to us hugely.

"There are no distinguishable marks on an e-scooter, they don't have a registration - so we are exploring the use of smart water as a deterrent."

She declined to explain exactly how that would work, but smart water technology involves being able to forensically link people to a crime by spraying them and an object in a unique liquid.

Peter Walton says he and his guide dog Hero have had close calls with people on e-scooters

Peter Walton from Mickleover, in Derby - who suffers from an eye condition - told BBC Radio Derby he and his guide dog Hero regularly have problems with e-scooters.

He said: "One came whizzing by us as Hero was taking me round manhole covers and potholes.

"They didn't bother one ha’p’orth about us, how we were trying to cope with things.

"It is scary. It's making you think is it worth going out?

"The police need to get involved and we need to see officers on the beat a little bit more."

Ms Swann said in 2023, 22 people were injured in collisions involving e-scooters in Derbyshire.

She said: "It is really difficult to stop e-scooters as well because there is no legally approved tactic available to enable the police to enforce a stop."

Ms Swann said she sympathised with Mr Walton's case and that people do get prosecuted for illegal use of e-scooters.

She said last year 50 such devices were seized and destroyed by the courts in the county.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We are actively considering solutions to safely stop illegal e-scooters and enhance the ability of the police to prevent them from being used to commit criminal acts.

“Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this government, which is why we have committed to putting 13,000 neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities and will introduce tougher powers to prevent repeat offending."

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