In the next article in the silent crime series, the Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette investigate the issues caused by e-bikes and scooters across Lancashire. The dangers and the difficulties police forces are facing in dealing with the rise of electric bikes and scooters across Lancashire.
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00:00Hello, my name is Luke Patrick and I'm a reporter for the Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette.
00:04In the next article in the Silent Crime series, the Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette will investigate the issues caused by e-bikes and scooters across Lancashire.
00:13The danger of the uses of e-bikes and the difficulties police forces are facing in dealing with the rise of electric bikes and scooters.
00:21The Silent Crime campaign, which runs across the national world, aims to highlight crimes that are often under-reported or under-investigated by the authorities.
00:30The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette will investigate the dangers of e-bikes and scooters across Lancashire.
00:37The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette will investigate the dangers of e-bikes and scooters across Lancashire.
00:44The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette will investigate the dangers of e-bikes and scooters across Lancashire.
00:51The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette will investigate the dangers of e-bikes and scooters across Lancashire.
00:57The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette will investigate the dangers of e-bikes and scooters across Lancashire.
01:04The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette will investigate the dangers of e-bikes and scooters across Lancashire.
01:11The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette will investigate the dangers of e-bikes and scooters across Lancashire.
01:18The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette will investigate the dangers of e-bikes and scooters across Lancashire.
01:24The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette will investigate the dangers of e-bikes and scooters across Lancashire.
01:54The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette will investigate the dangers of e-bikes and scooters across Lancashire.
02:01The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette will investigate the dangers of e-bikes and scooters across Lancashire.
02:08The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette will investigate the dangers of e-bikes and scooters across Lancashire.
02:15The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette will investigate the dangers of e-bikes and scooters across Lancashire.
02:21The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette will investigate the dangers of e-bikes and scooters across Lancashire.
02:28The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette will investigate the dangers of e-bikes and scooters across Lancashire.
02:35The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette will investigate the dangers of e-bikes and scooters across Lancashire.
02:42The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette will investigate the dangers of e-bikes and scooters across Lancashire.
02:48The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette will investigate the dangers of e-bikes and scooters across Lancashire.
02:55The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette will investigate the dangers of e-bikes and scooters across Lancashire.
03:02The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette will investigate the dangers of e-bikes and scooters across Lancashire.
03:09The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette will investigate the dangers of e-bikes and scooters across Lancashire.
03:15We're working with government on solutions. The police have got operations within Lancashire.
03:23The Operation Centurion where we're focusing more resources, police officers, concentrating on local communities where there are hot spots.
03:34Quite often where the e-bikes and e-scooters are being used to tackle them where we can to seize them, which is a challenge.
03:45But clearly they have become a nuisance and the information coming through to the office tells us this is one of the most significant problems that the communities are raising with us.
03:59So you talked about antisocial behaviour in terms of police or abusers and stuff. What kind of antisocial behaviour have people been reporting specifically?
04:11Well, what people have been reporting have been speeding in terms of how fast people are going down pavements and the danger that causes.
04:22The gangs of young people together on either e-bikes or e-scooters covering their face, like I said, up to no good generally because they know the police will go.
04:35Local people report them. The police will go out to tackle them. They'll be on back alleys and it becomes a game for them.
04:45But at the more serious end, we have had a very tragic incident in Burnley where an elderly person died because of being hit by somebody on an e-scooter.
04:57So it's not just antisocial behaviour. There's real serious issues as well.
05:04So to me, there's a grey area in terms of what's legal and illegal, what people can and can't do.
05:12People can use e-bikes and e-scooters legitimately and safely, but clearly there's a lot of people that are overstepping the mark.
05:20Recently, I've just been down to the Labour Bike Conference in Liverpool.
05:26And on every street corner, there was dozens of scooters that you could put a bit of money in or you could hire them.
05:35And people were scootering around all around the city centre perfectly legally.
05:40Yet if they were doing that here on their own scooters, it would be illegal.
05:45The messaging is wrong. We need consistency. People need to know what they can and can't do.
05:51We can't have the police. And the e-bikes as well, because not just e-scooters.
05:57We've had a number of complaints with e-bikes, particularly more complaints recently around takeaway delivery people.
06:08They're on pedal, what looks like a pedal bike. And you see them speeding back 30, 40 miles an hour.
06:16Sometimes down pavements or across in Preston, the markets where we've seen them.
06:22The power that they have got is way beyond what an e-bike should have.
06:29And certainly shouldn't be on pavements as well.
06:33But for the police, because they've got pedals on, they would have to seize the bike and test the bike.
06:42It's down to the power within the bike to know whether it's legal or illegal.
06:47Clearly that's a real challenge.
06:49Because out of the resources we've got to be going around trying to test bikes to see how much power they've got in them.
06:57Can't be the way forward. We need clarity on this.
07:02We need something that says this bike is legal, this isn't, this scooter is legal, this isn't, this is how you can use them.
07:09And then of course, they should have insurance as well.
07:13Because if they are being used legitimately and they are road vehicles, get them insured and people can be protected.
07:21And then at least with the police we can check on the people that are riding them and check to see whether they are insured.
07:29Legislation's a mess. The challenges for the police are really difficult.
07:34The concerns for the public are really great.
07:37So this is one of them examples where technology has kind of moved on, but the legislation hasn't followed as quickly.
07:47And so we need to put that in place to protect the public.
07:51And obviously primarily aiding with the government on the legislation coming up to try and make sure that clarity is there.
08:00But also it's about resourcing as well.
08:03Whether we have the resources in place to tackle what is clearly an important issue.
08:17So you are the chairman of the Pact?
08:21I'm the chairman of the Brunswick Ward Pact, yes.
08:24And what does that mean to you?
08:26Well, it means that we are a union.
08:29We are a union.
08:31We are a union.
08:33We are a union.
08:35We are a union.
08:37We are a union.
08:39We are a union.
08:41We are a union.
08:42So you are the chairman of the Pact?
08:45Of the Brunswick Ward Pact, yes.
08:49So what issues have you seen raised by the police and the community in terms of e-bikes?
08:56There's quite a lot of e-bike activity on our ward.
09:01The police do all they can to try and prevent or try and apprehend the youth.
09:08But I'm afraid their hands are tied as far as legislation hasn't kept up with the technology.
09:15So as far as the police are concerned, they're doing what they can.
09:19If there is a specific troublemaker or a specific incident, they have to roll out the helicopter.
09:30They have to have two traffic units there with stingers.
09:32So the cost of that is disproportionate to the actual incident itself.
09:38They are really up against us at the moment.
09:41You said that you've had lots of issues. How often?
09:45I'd say daily.
09:47I mean, we come across it just driving around the ward.
09:52You see them driving on the pavement.
09:54You see them going through the red lights at crossings.
09:57There are quite a few incidents.
10:00It's quite bad, not just for myself.
10:03We have residents sending in videos of all these occurrences virtually daily.
10:10Daily you go into people's homes?
10:13Yeah.
10:15What have police called police groups that you've spoken to asked for in terms of resources or legislation that would help them?
10:25I know the Police and Crown Commissioner, Mr. Clive Grimshaw.
10:30He's at the moment trying to push through or trying to instigate legislation so that the police can actually do something with regards to apprehending these youths.
10:48From the police's own figures, 80% of the e-bikes are linked with either drug or organised crime.
10:57So it's quite a formidable task.
11:01Their resources, of course, are limited.
11:04Yeah, I've interviewed Clive Grimshaw as part of this.
11:08Do you back his calls for more legislation?
11:12Oh, yes. Definitely, yes.
11:14I think that's the only way.
11:16The rank and file police are virtually powerless.
11:20If an ordinary officer tries to intercept one of these youths, they're risking their job, they're risking their livelihood, they're risking even a prison sentence.
11:33So it definitely needs legislation to help the police in their efforts.
11:40Yeah.
11:42Can you remember when you first started hearing about issues with e-bikes?
11:49Exactly.
11:51How long has it been going on?
11:53Quite some time.
11:55There's been a steady increase over the last couple of years, I'd say, definitely.
12:03The police have managed to apprehend a few of them and impound the bikes.
12:09Yeah.
12:11The bikes are that cheap.
12:13Yeah.
12:15And that's widespread.
12:17And the garages that actually suit them up so that they can travel at 70 miles an hour, they're popping up everywhere.
12:25So the police have really got a hard job in trying to keep up the incidents and the technology behind it.
12:32Yeah.
12:34What restrictions are there now to buying e-bikes and what restrictions would you like to see?
12:42Restrictions as far as buying them, I'm not aware of any.
12:46But as far as restrictions I'd like to see, obviously they have to be restricted to a certain miles per hour, I think.
12:57They are limited to 14 miles per hour at the moment.
13:01And they have to have road tax and insurance, but the majority don't.
13:07So they're just, as you've seen on countless videos, just going around town, going down the prom, 30-40 miles an hour, reckless.
13:21It's going to get to the stage where somebody's going to be either killed or seriously injured by one of these e-bikes.
13:27That will be the only way that legislation is going to be pushed through in time.
13:31Have you heard anything about anything like that happening already?
13:36I know there's a push by Mr Grimshaw as far as legislation and I know that the police union have asked for more legislation to help the officers to deal with this kind of thing.
13:53But at the moment it's down to the MP of the government to instigate that legislation.
14:02Are you aware of any serious incidents that have happened with e-bikes?
14:06On our ward itself we've had one gentleman who's been hit by an e-bike, knocked to the ground.
14:14We've had another couple of ladies who've had near misses.
14:17Myself I saw one fly through a red light on a pedestrian crossing, nearly took out a lady with her daughter.
14:26When was that?
14:28That was on the incident with the lady with her daughter, that was on the set of traffic lights by Deventer Road School.
14:36The other incident I believe was near Lake and Wreck playing grounds.
14:43But there have been quite a few. We have incidents reported at our meetings virtually monthly.
14:51What have the community's got?
15:02I know that police are struggling to deal with it and it's been going on for quite a while, so what's been their response?
15:12All they can do is report the incidents to the police through 101 or 999 if it's an ongoing incident.
15:22The problem is the police are very limited as far as resources.
15:28We've got one helicopter, traffic units aren't readily available all the time.
15:33If they are going to do something it can't be spurred at the moment, it's got to be a planned operation.
15:37But the residents, in large part, they've fell out with it, but they do understand the constraints the police are facing.