A dedicated operation cracking down on illegal e-bikes in Nottingham city centre is being expanded to other areas.
Operation Wrangel – part of the city’s wider Operation Reclaim project – was launched last year after members of the public voiced their frustration at how fast riders were going in pedestrianised areas.
Numerous offenders have since been fined over recent months, with some having to pay over £1,000 and receiving eight points on their driving licence.
Under UK law, e-bikes must not exceed a 15.5 mph speed limit and a motor power of no more than 250W. Non-compliant models are classified as motor vehicles, requiring insurance, taxation and a valid licence.
In the city centre, officers have been using a compact dynamometer to test the top speed of e-bikes in order to catch those failing to comply with the law.
This has led to the seizure of more than 80 e-bikes in Nottingham city centre and the Mansfield Neighbourhood Policing Team are now looking to adopt a similar operation.
On Monday (13 July), officers from the Mansfield team joined their city counterparts to see for themselves how Operation Wrangel had been putting the brakes on illegal e-bikes.
Sergeant Dan Butler, of the City Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team, said he was pleased to show the Mansfield officers how effective Operation Wrangel had been in recent months. He said:
“It’s really taken off for us and we’re quite proud that we’re country-leading in the enforcement of illegal e-bikes.
“We’ve had other forces receive training sessions with us and we’re now providing guidance to other neighbourhood policing teams within Nottinghamshire Police, whose areas are similarly blighted by illegal e-bikes.
“This week we’re sharing our knowledge and experiences with the Mansfield neighbourhood team. Whilst we know every area is different in terms of footfall and enclosed areas, clearly there are things we have learnt that are worth sharing with other policing teams.”
PC Ben King, who has led Operation Wrangel alongside Sgt Butler, outlined what the city centre policing team had learnt in their ongoing fight against illegal e-bikes. He said:
“There’s three types of riders – commercial, casual and criminal. Commercial riders are your fast-food delivery riders who ride on pavements pretty quickly, weaving in and out of people and being a general nuisance. Casual riders are people such as students going to university or travelling to bars and restaurants. And then the criminal riders are those involved in drug dealing and carrying weapons.
“All three types are seen every day in the local community and from our public engagement work, we know it is people’s number one concern in the city centre.
“Everyone knows illegal e-bikes are a nuisance but they are also a major fire and safety hazard. We’ve seen people come off and sustain serious injury, while we’ve also seen residential properties destroyed by fires caused by the lithium-ion batteries that power these bikes.
“That’s why we’re out testing e-bikes and where they fail to comply with law we will continue to take strong enforcement action.”
Inspector Katie Eustice, who leads neighbourhood policing in Mansfield, said her officers had learnt a huge amount by joining the city centre team on Monday. She said:
“Illegal e-bikes are a public nuisance across the country and in Mansfield we recognise this is an emerging issue within our community.
“As a neighbourhood team, we are committed to taking proactive action to remove illegal bikes from our streets and so we were delighted to join our colleagues in Nottingham city centre to learn about the success of Operation Wrangel.
“Illegal off-road bikes are not only disruptive for residents but also present a serious safety risk, particularly as riders are often inexperienced and using powerful vehicles beyond their capability.
“We will now consider what elements of Operation Wrangel can be implemented in Mansfield.”
