A police officer working in the city centre refused to let an illegal e-bike rider get away with his dangerous riding even commandeering his bike to make the arrest.
The incident happened on Wednesday 4 November at around 6.45pm near to Old Market Square.
PC Josh Dowdy was on foot patrol when he noticed a teenager in a balaclava riding at speed around the city centre on what appeared to be an illegal e-bike.
When the teenager crashed his bike and made a run for it, PC Dowdy used his initiative and commandeered the bike, directing other officers to his location during the pursuit.
He finally managed to catch him outside Nottingham Contemporary.
The 18-year-old man was searched and no drugs or weapons were recovered. His bike was seized and will not be returned to him.
Officers also seized his balaclava as it was being used to conceal his identity to commit anti-social behaviour. This is part of the Public Spaces Protection Order, which came into effect in September.
He was warned about his behaviour and his name and contact details will now be added to a watchlist of those young people causing problems in the city centre.
Chief Inspector Kylie Davies, who leads on city centre policing, said:
“Illegal e-bikes are a menace on the streets of our city and that is why we have a zero tolerance for anyone riding one.
“We will always be relentless in our pursuit of those thinking they can get away with riding them around. Some of these bikes can reach speeds of over 70 miles per hour and have the potential to seriously harm law-abiding members of the public.
“PC Dowdy did an excellent job of pursing the offender. The teenager now no longer has a bike as a result of his behaviour.”
Operation Reclaim is a partnership approach to tackling the major problems affecting the city centre including those who wear balaclavas and ride illegal e-bikes or e-scooters.
So far, more than 100 of these bikes have been seized from the city streets. During an illegal e-bike operation on Monday 9 November, 11 more bikes were seized and destroyed.
