Police to 'crush' e-scooters and off-road bikes used anti-socially in 48 hours
Perpetrators of anti-social driving face having their cars, e-scooters or off-road bikes seized and destroyed after 48 hours
Welsh communities affected by off-road biking and street racing are set to benefit from new police powers to tackle anti-social behaviour.
Perpetrators of anti-social driving face having their cars, e-scooters or off-road bikes seized and destroyed after 48 hourst.
Currently, police must wait 14 days before being able to dispose of a vehicle:
Currently, police must wait 14 days before being able to dispose of a vehicle, making it easier for offenders to reclaim their vehicles and with a limited deterrent to repeat offending, according to the Welsh Labour Party.
The measures to fast-track the disposal of vehicles comes alongside additional proposals to give police stronger powers to seize any vehicles involved in anti-social behaviour, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing them.
Jessica Morden, Labour MP for Newport East, continues to campaign for regulation of the vehicles, introducing the E-scooters (Review and Awareness) Bill to the Commons at the end of last year.
South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Emma Wools said:
“These new powers send a clear message to would-be offenders and local communities in Wales: swift justice will be delivered and anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated.
“Sales of e-scooters and off-road bikes have rapidly increased, so today is an important step in tackling more serious crime in Wales, with the vehicles often used to facilitate drug dealing, organised acquisitive crime and serious violence.”
Wales’s four police forces, Dyfed-Powys, Gwent, North Wales and South Wales Police, will receive additional neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs within the next 12 months.
Jessica Morden, Member of Parliament for Newport East, said:
“I know today’s measures will be welcome news for Wales and my constituents in Newport East, who regularly share their thoughts on the use of e-scooters with me – often a source of great anxiety in the city.
“I introduced the E-scooters (Review and Awareness) Bill to the Commons in November last year, making the case that our legislation on the vehicles lags behind other countries, so today is a great step forward in ensuring legislation across the UK is keeping up.”
The consultation will include proposals on:
- Reducing the timeframes which the police must wait before disposal for any vehicle seizures under s59 Police Reform Act 2002 (PRA) (anti-social behaviour) from 14 days to 48 hours.
- Reducing the timeframes for disposal of vehicle seizures under the Road Traffic Act 1988 (RTA) (uninsured and unlicensed vehicles) from 14 days to 7 days.
- Aligning disposal timeframes for vehicle seizures under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 (CJPOA) (unlawful trespass).
- New levels of statutory charges applied to the removal, storage and disposal of vehicles in England and Wales and in, the case of the Road Traffic Act 1998, for Scotland.
The Government’s Crime and Policing Bill, introduced on 25 February 2025, proposes to remove the requirement for the police constable to give a warning prior to seizing a vehicle under section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002.