By Natalia Forero, Local Democracy Reporter
Around 400 e-scooters and electric bikes have been seized by the police in Hampshire over the last year.
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Police bosses said that many of these electric vehicles have been used to commit crimes in the county.
The figures emerged at the commissioner’s oversight of policing services session – an online forum held by crime commissioner Donna Jones where residents can raise questions and concerns.
Chief constable Alexis Boon revealed that around 400 e-scooters and e-bikes were seized by Hampshire and Isle of Wight police.
These represent an increase compared to previous years, up from 41 in 2023 and 105 in 2024.
The 105 vehicles included 56 e-scooters, 26 modified e-bicycles, 15 e-motorbikes, and eight off-road petrol motorcycles.
Donna Jones with Cc Alexis Boon during their online cops session. Photo: Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner
Mr Boon said: “We take it really seriously. They are very dangerous. We need to make sure that when we see them, we can tackle them.
“They can also be used to facilitate crime, such as robberies, snatchings of phones, so we are very keen to make sure we’re on top of those.”
In relation to accidents involving people being “knocked down” by e-scooters, Mr Boon urged residents involved in these accidents to report them.
He added: “We need to know and understand that so we can identify where it’s happening and then target the issue appropriately.
“We are focused on it, targeting it, and we’ll continue to do so.”
Mrs Jones added that she will be launching a road safety campaign in partnership with Portsmouth City Council, Southampton City Council, Hampshire County Council, and the Isle of Wight Council over the next six months to promote safety and awareness.
She said: “We’ve got a whole campaign and we’re going to be running a whole series of things over the next six months in conjunction with our road police unit in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Constabulary.
“The campaign will focus on how to stay safe, why you shouldn’t be using your mobile phone, why privately owned scooters are illegal in public spaces and a whole load of other things.
“Please stay tuned on that if you are interested.”
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