Police abused after taking teen’s Christmas gift e-scooter for crushing

This e scooter was seized by Derbyshire police - one of hundreds its taken in over a year. Image by Derbyshire Police (Mercia and Hilton Police SNT).

Parents of a teenager “abused” police officers when they seized the youngster’s “dangerous” e-scooter – one of hundreds in more than a year.

The incident happened last Thursday (January 15th) after officers saw the vehicle being ridden illegally.

They were told it had been brought as a Christmas present, despite warnings issued weeks ago not to.

Derbyshire police warned people during the festive period not to buy them as gifts as they are illegal to use on public roads.

Officers have repeatedly said e-scooters are “not a toy” and can cause serious harm. However, it is legal for them to be ridden on private land.

Last month it was reported a 13-year-old boy was taken to hospital after an accident while riding an e-scooter in Derby.

Once seized, the e-scooters are crushed at a recycling plant.

The force’s Mercia and Hilton Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) said they spotted a teenager riding the e-scooter on a public road and took action.

The officers took the e-scooter straight away for destruction. This “seize first” approach has been Derbyshire police’s policy for over a year.

But officers say trouble escalated when the teenager’s family arrived on the scene.

The SNT said on its Facebook page: “Unfortunately, instead of having a calm conversation, abuse was directed at police, who were simply doing their job in keeping our community safe.

“Officers remained professional, calm and completely unimpressed. Let’s be clear: e-scooters like this one are illegal on public roads and footpaths.

“They can also be very dangerous to inexperienced young riders, as well as to pedestrians, with hospitals seeing many injuries linked to e-scooter use – such as broken bones and head injuries.”

Last month Derbyshire police said more than 650 e-scooters were seized to be destroyed across the county since it launched a new enforcement approach just over a year ago.

This method allows officers on the beat to seize the vehicles on the first offence, when they are spotted on public roads or pavements.

Before Christmas, Inspector Lee Welsby said: “Officers across Derbyshire have continued to be proactive in stopping and seizing illegally used e-scooters.

“We have been resolute in tackling this issue, which is often raised as a concern by our communities, and in getting this message out to try and avoid people buying these vehicles without realising that they can only be used on private land.”

The police’s approach to tackling illegal e-scooters was welcomed by E-scooter safety campaigner Sarah Gayton (pictured above right), from the UK’s National Federation of the Blind.

She said at the time: “This is really encouraging news and we would sincerely like to thank the Police and Crime Commissioner and the police for taking this action.”