Plymouth city centre got safer today as Devon and Cornwall Police once again joined forces with Home Office Immigration Enforcement to take illegal e-bikes off the streets, tackle immigration crime and stop dangerous riding in busy pedestrian areas.
Officers moved in on New George Street from about 10.30am, backed by the Roads Policing Unit, Special Constables, the Drone Team, and neighbourhood officers.
Shoppers stopped to watch as officers stopped riders in the heart of the city centre, while the force’s drone team kept an eye from above to track anyone trying to avoid checks.
Police confirmed to Plymouth Plus that today’s results totalled 14 illegal e-bikes seized and one moped taken off the road.
Two people were taken into custody, a man arrested on suspicion of driving while disqualified and a woman arrested in connection with immigration offences.
The crackdown followed complaints about reckless riders weaving through pedestrians. Police said some collisions in recent months had left people in hospital, with families and older shoppers particularly at risk from silent illegal e-bikes reaching moped speeds.
Plymouth Plus readers first learned of the scale of the enforcement drive in our exclusive story on 7 August, when we revealed Plymouth is at the centre of a UK Government crackdown on illegal delivery drivers, with ministerial backing for tougher action and more operations to come.
Today's operation targeted bikes that fall outside of UK legal limits. Officers explained that once an e-bike exceeds 250 watts or assists beyond 15.5mph, it is classed as a motor vehicle which requires registration, insurance, a licence and a helmet.
Riders who cannot prove a bike is legal within 14 days face losing it for good, with seized illegal e-bikes destroyed after testing if they fail to meet the rules.
Inspector Greg Bridgett told Plymouth Plus:
“We have had reports from members of the public raising their concerns around some of the speeds that these bikes are ridden at, and the risk to their safety.
"When we stop the bikes, if we find they are illegal, those bikes will be seized. The individual will have 14 days to prove the bike is legal. If that is not the case we do our testing and the bikes are destroyed after 14 days."
Earlier this month in Mutley, officers seized 29 illegal bikes in a single day as part of the same crackdown. Immigration Enforcement officers from the Home Office again supported today’s operation, checking the immigration status of food delivery drivers.
National operations have also revealed that powerful e-bikes are increasingly being used by criminals. Police forces in Liverpool and the South West have linked them to drug dealing, with dealers using the bikes to deliver at speed and escape pursuing officers.
Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle previously told Plymouth Plus that the goverment is determined to clamp down on illegal working. She said:
“Illegal working undermines honest employers, undercuts local wages, and fuels the criminal industry of immigration crime. We are determined to clamp down on that illegal activity in every sector where it occurs, including delivery drivers."
Police say more activity is planned across the city, with hotspot areas targeted at different times of day to keep riders guessing and keep the pressure on. Inspector Bridgett added:
“So the legalities of riding an e-bike are that you have to be over 14 years of age, the power has to be no more than 250 watts and the top speed has to be no more than 15 and a half miles per hour. If it's beyond all of that, then it becomes a motor vehicle and you would need the relevant documentation in order to ride it.”
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