REVEALING THE TRUTH ABOUT THE POLICING OF E-SCOOTERS IN LONDON
Written by Ed Wiles, Scootered Founder
Key Points
Introduction
After discovering that only the London police forces, and especially the Metropolitan Police, had taken action on e-scooter riders in 2019, I have been following up with the Met regularly to find out how many e-scooters they have been confiscating. They respond reasonably promptly and, after an initial refusal, now disclose the figures, which always prove interesting.
Results
The results for each month in 2019 and 2020 are tabulated below. They are a little confusing (even taking the Covid lockdown into consideration), with big jumps in certain months that cannot be explained by anything other than a change in policing itself (ie unannounced crackdowns). Such crackdowns are surprising considering e-scooter trials are taking place across the country and the Government announced their intention to legalise them. Read more about the law on e-scooters.
As the Met have previously stated that they will only confiscate an e-scooter when there is aggravating circumstances, I have to assume that the increase in confiscations tallies with an increase in unsociable behaviour (eg riding on pavements or jumping red lights). As the popularity of e-scooters continues to increase, it is reasonable to assume that so will the number of riders using them in ways that would be illegal if they were bicycles. As such, the best way to avoid having your e-scooter confiscated may be to avoid doing anything "aggravating": ie do not ride them in a way that would be illegal if you were riding a bike, such as riding on the pavement.
Confiscations By Metropolitan Police Per Month In 2020
| Month (2020) |
Confiscations |
| January | 7 |
| February | 38 |
| March | 3 |
| April | 1 |
| May | 4 |
| June | 2 |
| July | 17 |
| August | 15 |
| September | 72 |
| October | 42 |
| November | 46 |
| December | 37 |
| Total | 284 |
Confiscations By Metropolitan Police Per Month In 2019
| Month (2019) |
Confiscations |
| January-June | 0 |
| July | 25 |
| August | 14 |
| September | 3 |
| October | 5 |
| November | 4 |
| December | 3 |
| Total | 54 |
Recovering Your Electric Scooter
Having your e-scooter "seized" sounds catastrophic, but what the London police forces are failing to mention in their publicity is that you can simply retrieve your e-scooter - or "motor vehicle" - from one of their vehicle recovery units (in Charlton or Perivale). It costs £150 plus £10 for every day it is there. It is thus probably worth your while retrieving it.
