Police crackdown on e-scooter 'menace'
E-scooters have been branded "a total menace on our roads" after new figures showed they were involved in more than 600 crimes in the region last year.
West Midlands Police say e-scooters were mentioned in 652 crime logs in 2021 after a spike in privately used scooters being illegally ridden on the roads.
They also featured in 226 complaints over anti-social behaviour and were involved in 21 collisions where people were seriously injured, including one fatality. A total of 210 e-scooters were seized across the region.
Speaking at a meeting of the Police and Crime Commissioner's strategic board, Assistant PCC Tom McNeil, said: "Private e-scooters are a total menace on our roads."
A report to the board said that since the region started an e-scooter trial in August 2020 – allowing renters in three areas including West Bromwich to ride them on roads – illegal usage had increased across the region.
Police chiefs today called for new laws banning the sale of privately-owned e-scooters.
West Midlands PCC Simon Foster said e-scooters were a "danger on our roads, pavements and in our parks" and said it was disappointing to see them being sold by retailers "that should know better".
He added: "I am concerned that privately owned e-scooters are being illegally used on our roads. Only the rented scooters in the trials are legal to ride on the roads.
"While I am pleased that West Midlands Police has seized 210 illegally used e-scooters, the Government needs to do more too.
"The regulatory regime around the sale and use of private e-scooters is unfit for purpose. In future, privately owned e-scooters need to be licensed, regulated and appropriate health and safety measures put in place.
"Until we reach that point, I urge the Government to ban the sale of private e-scooters, so we do not see further injuries or deaths on our roads."
