PCC speaks up for local communities with Government indicating new laws for E-Scooters

 Dear Secretary of State,

As Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia, I regularly hear from local communities about the rapid increase in E-Scooter use. As you know, privately owned E-Scooters remain illegal on public roads in our area, and this has created an increasingly difficult environment for West Mercia Police to manage the use.

I agree with your assessment that ‘the genie is out of the bottle’. Legalisation – supported by a clear and enforceable framework – is now essential.

In West Mercia, there has been one fatality and 11 serious injuries involving E‑Scooters over the past five years. Most incidents have involved the rider, but pedestrians have also been harmed. Over the same period, 95 E‑Scooters (and E-Bikes) have been seized and subsequently scrapped.

Beyond the issue of E-Scooters being used illegally, we are also seeing them modified to unsafe speeds, riders failing to use even basic safety equipment, and their use linked to criminality, including drug dealing.

With this in mind, any future legal framework must be developed in close collaboration with road safety charities, policing partners and industry experts. The focus must be on protecting riders and the wider public.

Clear national guidance will be essential – both in defining what is legal and in setting out how the police are expected to enforce any new legislation. For example, if pavement riding is to be prohibited, there must be clarity on how this is realistically enforceable.

Demand on policing has never been higher. Legalisation will almost certainly increase the number of E‑Scooters in our communities, which means education for young people and partnership working with retailers – both physical stores and online marketplaces – will be critical.

There will also be operational challenges for policing, particularly around safe pursuit, identification of riders, and the absence of registration markers. These issues must be addressed within the legislative framework.

Finally, there must be clarity on safeguards such as age limits, speed restrictions and technical standards, drawing on the evidence from the national pilot schemes that have and are taking place.

I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this further and to ensure the policing perspective is fully reflected as legislation is developed.

Yours sincerely,

John Campion

Police and Crime Commissioner

West Mercia