Increase in seizures of illegal ebikes

[Drago]

When I was in the dibble you couldn't do anything, including scratching your arse or crossing the road, without having completed a course of training and being properly certified to do it, and that certification being "in date". If you didn't, you werent sufficiently "expert" and your evidence would be shredded in court.

Now it seems anyone in a uniform, and not necessarily a police officers one, can pitch up and do what they like without any knowledge, training, qualification, or recourse to any actual legislation. I won't go into the causes as ultimately that brings us round to the P word, but suffice to say policing is in a parlour state in 2026 - im just staggered at how unprofessional this is at every level. Mind you, this is the force that recently lost a Chief for using AI to make stuff up to justify operational decisions, so perhaps I shouldn't be surprised.

 

[albion]

A touch of health and safety is the reason. Your old local bobby would have ridden it down the street as a proper test.
But it is semi corruption not having a fact confirmation system in place.

 

[Electric_Andy]

A touch of health and safety is the reason. Your old local bobby would have ridden it down the street as a proper test.
But it is semi corruption not having a fact confirmation system in place.

Also seems to be (dare I say) a lack of common sense among the younger workforce in general? I've noticed it in my workplace too. If I was tasked with stopping/checking an Ebike's legality, if I wasn't sure then I'd at least have a quick google first as to what to check and how to check it, rather than just kicking the tyres and doing something with the pedals

 

[Drago]

A touch of health and safety is the reason. Your old local bobby would have ridden it down the street as a proper test.
But it is semi corruption not having a fact confirmation system in place.

The system does exist, its just being completely ignored.

The legislation permits any constable, not  a PCSO, to examine a bicycle, but only an accredited vehicle examiner has the authority to determine to a legal standard the status of any vehicle, or make an evidential determination that would result in prosecution, destruction, etc.

The system", the legislation, the processes, are just being treated as if they don't exist. If I had stepped beyond my lawful training, authorisation or remit to such a degree resulting in thr unlawful deprivation and destruction of thousands of pounds of someone elses property id have expected to be sacked, and rightly so.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

And legal e-bikes being seized too:
Tern Cargo Bike
Looks like the Birmingham Police are not up to speed with things yet. TBH, finding illegal e-bikes in Birmingham City Centre is like shooting fish in a barrel. I recon if I stare out of my window for longer than a minute, I will guarantee to see one.

And I know the bike shop in question - a legitimate business that has been around for a while. Unless the Police are objecting to the flags that they have in the shop....

Been talking about this on Facebook

apparently the bloke has been charged without not having insurance

no mention of anything else in the article I read
I was wondering if him using it for work (it is a cargo bike and he delivers food) might be part of it

or - being more cynical (i.e. realistic) they arrested him on the basis of a dumb test based on inaccurate "thoughts" about what the law says
and now want to look like that didn;t cock it up

 

[Electric_Andy]

apparently the bloke has been charged without not having insurance

That's poppycock if that is true. His legal EPAC is the same as a bicycle, therefore no insurance necessary, but when working as delivery rider they say that 3rd party liability insurance is recommended. Yes it does sound like they (Police) are trying anything to make it sound like they didn't do anything wrong. It would be much better if they just admitted their mistake, rather than trot out fake reasons which assumes the public are thick and would believe it

 

[Drago]

Been talking about this on Facebook

Theres your first mistake.

 

[classic33]

Been talking about this on Facebook

apparently the bloke has been charged without not having insurance

no mention of anything else in the article I read
I was wondering if him using it for work (it is a cargo bike and he delivers food) might be part of it

or - being more cynical (i.e. realistic) they arrested him on the basis of a dumb test based on inaccurate "thoughts" about what the law says
and now want to look like that didn;t cock it up

Expensive mistake, as it wasn't actually the riders bike.

 

[albion]

New thread?

'Increase in illegal police seizures of legal ebikes'

 

[Drago]

New thread?

'Increase in illegal police seizures of legal ebikes'

On the one hand a good idea.

On the other, I had a stroke last year and the raised blood pressure such a thread would cause might be dangerous.

 

[Alex321]

Those are blue shirts, PCSOs. They dont have the power to stop a vehicle for motoring offences in the first place, so it was unlawful from start to finish.

There was one blue shirt and one normal uniformed constable visible in the video. And West Midlands Police seem to think it was police officers.

 

[Drago]

West Mids seem to think a lot of things.

 

[Gwylan]

Oh my lord! Not a crackdown!!!

Better than the more popular "double down"

 

[brommieinkorea]

It sounds a pedantic question but I see number of small kids playing on electric scooters.
They don't go very fast (probably about 5 mph at the most) as there more like toys.
I also see young kids on small toy like electric cars in the park with their parents keeping close eye on them a few steps behind.
Technically speaking are these against the law too

I"d bet they are. Talking about Powerwheels or some such contraption ? Why couldn"t the jerk parents get the kid a bike ? They want the kid to die of heart disease before they're 50?

 

[brommieinkorea]

Just seen this

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9d28qj3zx8o

Probably good

but I wonder how many were the type that do wheelies down the wrong side of the road
and how many just people who stopped when asked because they are law abiding and caused no problems

Still - the more this sort of thing appears in the "papers" then the more "The People" are educated about what is and is not legal

Holy crap. 800 seems like a lot of work, they could have pulled over and confiscated 800 cars and made the place significantly safer.